Merrill R. (Rick) Chapman has  been speaking publicly since the age of seven and no one has been able to stop him since. Rick has worked in high-technology since the days of the TRS-80, WordStar, and the Apple II.  During his career, he’s has worked as a software support engineer, product manager, vice president of product management and marketing, and is currently the COO of a new startup, DiiDit.  In 2004, he became the managing editor and publisher of Softletter, which began as an influential newsletter focused on the software business in the 1980s and has transformed into an online publication that focuses on leading edge issues in high technology. 

Speaking of leading edge, in 2006 Softletter released the first research report on the growth and acceptance of Software as a Service, a movement that sprang from the ashes of 2001’s application service provider (ASP) meltdown. In 2007, Rick and Softletter hosted the industry’s first Software as a Service conference, SaaS University,  in San Jose, CA.  When the series ended in 2015, SaaS University sessions had been held in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., among others.

During this time, SaaS evolved from an interesting development in the distribution of software to the dominant means by which new systems and products are developed and released to the market. But the SaaS Revolution not only disrupted the software business but continues to transform every aspect of our society. You can read more about this in the third edition of his book, In Search of Stupidity: Over 40 Years of High-Tech Marketing Disasters. 

Rick is also the author of several other books, including SaaS Entrepreneur: The Definitive Guide to Succeeding in Your Cloud Application Business and two novels, Selling Steve Jobs’ Liver: A Story of Startups, Innovation, and Connectivity in the Clouds, and Rule-Set: A Novel of a Quantum Future.

Rick has spoken over the years at more high tech venues than he can remember. hundreds of venues on high-technology development and marketing. He brings to all his presentations a comprehensive knowledge of the origins and history of today’s industry, an in-depth understanding of how firms organize and run their operations, and on-the record-insights that have predicted  major technology trends. He’s also a nerd who has read massive amounts of sci-fi, programmed in LISP and Prolog, attended the first Star Trek convention, maintains a hobbyist interest in theoretical and particle physics, and enjoys Japanese/Chinese/Korean manga/manhua/manhwa, all of which is reflected in Rule-Set.

Rick’s presentations are always insightful, packed with information, and funny. If you’re looking to provide a  unique and enjoyable experience for your event, contact him today.