Rodney Mullen

Rodney Mullen is recognized in the skateboarding industry for pioneering many of the sport’s foundational tricks and for holding a record as a world champion. After studying chemical engineering at the University of Florida, Mullen co-founded one of the era’s largest skate companies. He is credited with influencing modern skateboard and wheel design, holding two patents related to these innovations.

Following the sale of his company, Mullen explored open-source software, drawing connections between skateboarding and hacker cultures that drive innovation. His first presentation on this topic was delivered at TED. He has since spoken at organizations including Apple, Nike, IBM, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wired BizCon, BrainMind at Stanford, University of Virginia Medical School, and the Condé Nast Editors-in-Chief meeting.

Mullen has maintained a public presence since his teenage years. His skateboarding videos have garnered tens of millions of views on YouTube, with his “Best Of” compilation reaching 24 million. He appears in nine of Activision’s "Tony Hawk" video games. Ubisoft’s "Ghost Recon" modeled a lead character after him, and his performance was submitted for a BAFTA. Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Vogue have published features on Mullen, including coverage of his video "Liminal," which trended on Facebook. The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Wired have also profiled him. Mullen is featured in several books, including an autobiography published by Regan Books.

The National Academy of Sciences included Mullen in its study, "Educating to Innovate," recognizing his creative contributions. He collaborated with the chief technology officer of IBM-VMware on a chatbot and co-authored a paper for IBM. Mullen was named a Fellow at MIT Media Lab, where he has worked with students on research, including a paper on embodied cognition and virtual reality. He was appointed Distinguished Research Scholar at the Smithsonian and was featured in a Getty Exhibit in Los Angeles. Mullen is also a founder of the augmented reality phone game SKATRIX. He continues to skateboard daily.