Greg Badros is an American technologist, investor, and advisor. The interview explores his early fascination with computing — writing programs at age 7 for his VIC-20 home computer — high school interests and, upon graduating, his academic journey through Duke University and the University of Washington. At Washington, he notably co-developed the Cassowary constraint-solving algorithm which later became foundational for Apple’s iOS layout engine.
As a senior engineering leader, Badros recounts his pivotal roles at Google from 2003 to 2009 where he revolutionized the AdWords auto-approval processes, led AdSense engineering during a period of massive growth, and directed Gmail’s technical scaling out of beta, ultimately earning four Google Founders Awards.
Badros then discusses his transition to Facebook as vice president of engineering and products from 2009 to 2013. There he optimized targeted advertising, spearheaded mobile Newsfeed monetization, and fostered an environment of rapid engineering iterations. Finally, he highlights his post-corporate entrepreneurial endeavors, including advanced smart-home automation projects and the founding of Gluroo, a collaborative AI-powered diabetes management application inspired by a family diagnosis.
Interviewed by Marc Weber on 2026-06-19
© Computer History Museum
Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information – http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/300000327
Catalog number: 300000328
Acquisition number: 2026.0149
About The Author
