Jim Rutt (born 1954) is an American businessman and entrepreneur, the former CEO of Network Solutions, and the former chairman of the Santa Fe Institute. Early life In 1975, Rutt received a bachelor's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later ran technology operations for Thomson Corporation. Business career Rutt was the CEO of Network Solutions, an American technology and Internet company. He was hired in 1999 during the dot-com boom, and negotiated the company's $15 billion acquisition by Verisign, where it continued operating as an independent subsidiary. In March 2001, after the acquisition, he subsequently stepped down from his position as a Verisign executive. After retiring, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson appointed Rutt to serve on the State Investment Council. In 2014, Rutt co-founded a makerspace in Staunton, Virginia with software engineer Dan Funk. Activities In 1981, Rutt was the first to use the term "snail mail" to describe conventional mail services, in contrast with email. Rutt is a trustee of the Santa Fe Institute, a multi-disciplinary research organization, and was its chairman before retiring in 2012. He does research into the scientific study of consciousness and artificial general intelligence. He hosts a podcast called The Jim Rutt Show. References External links The Jim Rutt Show Lifeboat Foundation biography Living people American computer businesspeople American technology chief executives American technology company founders 1954 births Santa Fe Institute people MIT Sloan School of Management alumni