James Goodnight

James Goodnight
Born
James Howard Goodnight

January 6, 1943 (1943-01-06) (age 81)
Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S.
Other namesJim Goodnight
EducationNorth Carolina State University
Occupation(s)Businessman and software developer
TitleCEO, SAS
Term1976–
SpouseAnn Goodnight
Children3

James Goodnight is an American software programmer and billionaire who co-founded SAS Institute.

Early life

He has been the CEO of SAS since 1976, which he co-founded that year with other faculty members of North Carolina State University.[1] As of April 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$7.4 billion, making him the richest person in North Carolina.[2]

Early life and education

Goodnight was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, on January 6, 1943.[3] He worked at his father's hardware store as a child.[4][5] Goodnight became a student at North Carolina State University (NCSU) where he first started writing software.[6] In 1968, he got his master's degree in statistics from NCSU.[4] He left to work on the Apollo program, building communication equipment used by the Apollo space missions.[7] Afterwards, he went back to NCSU to get his PhD in statistics. He was a faculty member at the university from 1972 to 1976.[6]

Career

Goodnight worked together with other developers at NCSU to create a statistical analysis system for agriculture. The program eventually became the SAS software program.[8] Goodnight and his team members Anthony James Barr, John Sall and Jane Helwig left the college to found a company called SAS Institute, which develops SAS software.[9][10] The company's software is used for data management, analytics and artificial intelligence.[11]

Goodnight has been CEO of SAS Institute for over 45 years. The company made $138,000 in its first year, and grew to make $3.2 billion in 2022.[12] It is one of the largest privately held software providers in the world.[13] The company is known for being a good work environment for employees,[14][15][16] and having efficient management.[17][18]

In 1981, Goodnight is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.[19] Goodnight has been called the "Godfather of AI" for helping create SAS.[11]

Personal life

Goodnight met his wife, Ann, while they were both in college. He was studying at North Carolina State University and she was studying at Meredith College. They have three children together.[3][20]

Goodnight has loaned items from his rock and fossil collection to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences so that the public can view them.[21]

Wealth and charity

Goodnight is the richest person in North Carolina,[2] and had a net worth of US$11 billion in April 2024.[22]

Goodnight has worked to improve education,[23] especially in areas like science and mathematics.[24] In 1996, Goodnight founded the prep school Cary Academy with his wife Ann, his business partner John Sall, and Sall's wife Ginger.[25]

The Goodnights have donated to North Carolina State University to create scholarships and educational fellowships for students and faculty at the university.[26][27] They founded the Goodnight Educational Foundation in 2005.[28] The foundation has donated to the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities' Science of Reading Initiative[29] and Western Carolina University.[30]

The Goodnights have also donated to wildlife conservation and historical preservation.[31][32] They sponsored the Jim and Ann Goodnight Museum Park, part of the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.[33]

He and his wife have invested in the town Cary, North Carolina, where they live.[34][35] He owns Prestonwood Country Club and The Umstead Hotel and Spa.[36][37][38]

References

  1. ↑ "Jim Goodnight, Co-Founder & CEO". www.sas.com. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Jim Goodnight regains status as NC's richest person, toppling Epic Games' Tim Sweeney | WRAL TechWire". WRAL TechWire. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maney, Kevin (April 21, 2004). "SAS Workers Won When Greed Lost". USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Goodnight for all". The Irish Times. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  5. ↑ "A good night for numbers". The Charlotte Observer. 27 July 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Official biography, SAS Institute, retrieved December 13, 2012
  7. ↑ Raleigh News & Observer. "Ann and Jim Goodnight." December 31, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ Kaplan, David (January 22, 2010). "SAS: A new no. 1 best employer". Fortune. Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  9. ↑ Lohr, Steve (November 21, 2009). "At a Software Powerhouse, the Good Life Is Under Siege". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ SAS corporate timeline, WRAL, March 3, 2011, retrieved October 17, 2011
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ioannou, Lori (2019-11-04). "Jim Goodnight, the 'Godfather of A.I.,' predicts the future fate of the US workforce". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  12. ↑ Corporate Statistics, SAS Institute, retrieved August 10, 2011
  13. ↑ Gordon, Brian (September 28, 2023). "SAS eliminates more positions this week as part of its 2023 staff reduction plan". The News & Observer.
  14. ↑ Hardy, Quentin (June 9, 2011). "SAS-We Spurned IBM, Now to Win". Forbes. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ Bankert, Ellen; Lee, Mary Dean; Lange, Candice, "SAS Institute: A case on the role of senior business leaders in driving work/life cultural change" (PDF), The Wharton Work/Life Roundtable: A Division of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, University of Pennsylvania, archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-12, retrieved 2024-10-02, SAS Institute has received considerable media attention for the "utopian" environment for which it has become known
  16. ↑ Shivapriya, N (September 25, 2008). "SAS Steams Along as Unlisted Firms Amid US Financial Chaos". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  17. ↑ Joel, Kurtzman. "An Interview with Jeffrey Pfeffer". Strategy+Business.
  18. ↑ Fishman, Charles (December 31, 1998). "Sanity Inc". Fast Company. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  19. ↑ View/Search Fellows of the ASA Archived 2016-06-16 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2016-10-15.
  20. ↑ "Ann Goodnight collects art and North Carolina benefits | Walter Magazine". 31 March 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  21. ↑ zonker (2014-10-31). "Natural treasures: The extraordinary collection of Dr. Jim Goodnight". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  22. ↑ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg.com. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  23. ↑ Judson, Andie (27 February 2017). "Forbes: Richest person in North Carolina". WCNC. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  24. ↑ "SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight on Building Strong Companies -- and a More Competitive U.S. Workforce". Knowledge at Wharton. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  25. ↑ SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight on Building Strong Companies – and a More Competitive U.S. Workforce, January 5, 2011, retrieved December 12, 2012
  26. ↑ "Goodnight Scholarships". Goodnight Scholarships. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  27. ↑ "Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship". The Graduate School. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  28. ↑ "Goodnight Educational Foundation - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  29. ↑ "Goodnight Foundation Supports NCICU's Science of Reading Initiative – NCICU". 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  30. ↑ Bill Studenc (2023-03-14). "New professorship in early literacy established with $1.5M from Goodnight Foundation". Western Carolina University. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  31. ↑ "SAS, Goodnight keep demonstrating the power to do good | WRAL TechWire". wraltechwire.com. 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  32. ↑ Intern, Editorial (2019-01-08). "N.C. Museum of History Hosts Foundation Philanthropy Awards". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  33. ↑ Kowalksi, Emily (2016-11-04). "The Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park". North Carolina Museum of Art. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  34. ↑ "SAS' NEXT MOVE". www.bizjournals.com.
  35. ↑ Barkin, Dan (2023-09-11). "Cary's growth not just due to natural advantages". Business North Carolina. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  36. ↑ "Citizen Goodnight". Raleigh News and Observer. July 21, 1996. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  37. ↑ "The Umstead Hotel, Umstead Spa, And Herons Offer Five Star Luxury In The Triangle". The Raleigh Telegram. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  38. ↑ "Ann Goodnight planning upscale restaurant near hotel". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2013.