Qualtrics CEO Jason Maynard shared the following note with all Qualtrics employees Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
Today is my first day as CEO of Qualtrics, and I wanted to share why I'm here.
I've spent 30 years in enterprise software; as a founder, as an analyst on Wall Street, and as an operator helping scale great businesses. I've had a front-row seat to some of the biggest shifts in our industry, and right now we’re in the middle of the largest I’ve ever seen.
AI is reshaping how every organization operates, how they serve customers, how they engage employees, and how they make critical decisions. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, the ability to understand the human experience and act on what matters in context is crucial.
That's why I’ve joined Qualtrics.
Qualtrics invented experience management. It's rare to have the opportunity to lead a company that created its category. And rarer still to join at a moment when that category is becoming fundamental to business success.
Trust is the currency of success for every organization, government, and institution.
Trust is built through authentic experience.
The companies that win are the ones that understand this. That's the mission I signed up for: to improve the human experience.
I deeply believe in the strategy and am grateful for the strong foundations built by our team, customers, and partners. My job is to help us continue building on this with speed, clarity, and a relentless focus on delivering real value.
The best advice I ever got when I joined NetSuite was simple: start by listening.
So that's what I'm doing. I'll be spending my first weeks listening to customers, partners, and employees to understand their experience, what’s working, and what we can do to deliver even more value.
Thank you to Ryan Smith, Zig Serafin, and the entire team for building Qualtrics into what it is today, and to Jim Whitehurst and Mark Gillett for their leadership over the past few months. I'm excited for what's ahead.
This is an exciting time to be at Qualtrics, and I can’t wait to get started with all of you.
Jason