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Chris Barton

Founder & Creator of Shazam, Entrepreneur, Inventor & Tech Investor

Chris Barton
Travels From Travels From:
San Francisco, CA, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $30,000 - $50,000
Virtual Event: $20,000 - $30,000
More Fee Info
Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Belonging, Business, Business Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Marketing, Neurodiversity, Technology
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Chris Barton Biography

Chris Barton wanted a way to identify songs anywhere he heard them. There wasn’t one – so he invented an app called Shazam. Barton’s creation is nothing short of pure magic. Barton seeks to delight people by using technology to make seemingly impossible ideas come to life. Shazam is just one of them. It changed the way the world discovers music and laid the groundwork for the consumer AI industry we know today. In addition to creating Shazam, Barton holds twelve patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. Barton’s newest venture, Guard, aims to use AI to detect drowning in swimming pools – a never-before accomplished effort. In his speeches, Barton’s story and storytelling completely captivate audiences. He inspires people to make big things happen in their organizations – to create magic in defiance of the obstacles.

Barton grew up with a French mother and British father – both of whom were university professors. Academics were a struggle for him, and Barton would come to realize he had undiagnosed dyslexia. Barton flipped this challenge on its head and learned to embrace what he now calls his superpower. Barton believes that dyslexia has allowed him to overcome barriers to achieve his many accomplishments.

When Barton had the idea to identify music using a mobile phone, no technology existed to achieve his goal. He was told by Professors at MIT and Stanford that the necessary pattern recognition algorithm was impossible. Even after inventing a new technology that didn’t yet exist, he had to build a search engine supercomputer from scratch, create the world’s largest music database, and create a user experience on very basic mobile phones. Did Barton ever think the experts were right? “No way,” he says.

When Barton came up with the idea for Shazam in 2000, it was three years before iTunes and eight years before the App Store. Shazam launched as a phone number that you dialed, and the service struggled, teetering near bankruptcy for six years until the App Store launched in 2008, allowing Shazam to unleash its full potential on the world.

In 2018, Shazam was acquired by Apple for a reported $400 million, making it Apple's 6th largest acquisition of all-time. Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times and is used each month by over 300 million people, making it one of the world's most popular apps. It has become an integral part of our everyday lives, with its ability to instantly identify songs and provide a range of music features such as lyrics. Shazam has become a verb, and it has changed the way the world discovers music.

Barton has also played a key role in tech history as a founding member of Google’s Android Partnerships team where he created Android's mobile operator partnership framework. He also spent four years at Dropbox where he led carrier partnerships and was one of the first 100 people at the company.

Holding 12 patents, including one found within the Google search algorithm, Barton has made significant contributions to the tech industry. He also invests in a wide range of start-ups, including artificial intelligence for heart health and inflammatory disease therapeutics.

Today, Barton spends much of his time building his third startup company, Guard, an artificial intelligence system that detects drowning in swimming pools.

When he has time, Barton enjoys speaking at events and sharing lessons learned from his experiences overcoming the impossible. He inspires people with firsthand stories that highlight key takeaways across technology innovation, persistence, removing friction, and entrepreneurship. Barton gives audiences a new framework for making big things happen. His truly inspirational story motivates them to take action.

Prior to his technology career, Barton was a strategy consultant and earned two master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge University.

When he isn’t working or speaking, you can find Barton enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his son, Jude.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/19/2024.

Chris Barton Speaking Topics

  • Bring Impossible Ideas to Life

    Technology & AI are dramatically changing what’s possible in our world. Our challenge as we create new things is to dislodge from the comfort of what we already know. Chris created Shazam after being told by every “expert” that his outlandish idea was impossible. It was an idea far ahead of its time – eight years before iPhone apps even existed. In this presentation, Chris helps audiences imagine and create new visions for the future. He inspires with jaw-dropping stories about creating Shazam and shows how innovation comes from an idea and a series of insights to overcome obstacles along the way.

    Audiences learn a new framework of thinking to create change through technology.

  • Overcome Obstacles with Imagination

    A great idea gets you nowhere without tenacity. True disruption requires both persistence and creative solutions. In creating Shazam, Chris faced obstacles many thought were insurmountable. Most would have given up, but he refused. Instead, Chris challenged every assumption about the obstacles he faced. He shares stories and actionable lessons that inspire audiences to pursue their dreams. Chris urges audiences to question the status quo and to sweat the details on the path to redefining the future.

    Audiences learn new mindsets to break past barriers.

  • Eliminate Effort to Unlock Explosive Growth

    We all know simple is great, so why don’t all organizations create amazing things like Apple? The reality is that friction permeates almost everything we do. This “extra effort” frustrates our customers, partners, and colleagues. In creating Shazam, Chris moved mountains to make one thing very easy – identifying any song. Shazam changed the way the world discovered music. Chris combines stories from creating Shazam with his twelve years at Android (Google) and Dropbox to provide concrete examples of how we can all push boundaries to eliminate friction.

    Audiences learn to identify and eliminate friction to drive growth.

  • Build the Vision You See (But Others Don’t)

    Entrepreneurs have passion, ideas, and desire but can get stuck on the difficult journey to achieving their dreams. They want to bring something new to the world but must learn how to overcome big obstacles, choose their priorities, and convince others of their vision. Chris inspires and teaches entrepreneurs using the story of Shazam’s creation, including the scrappy and creative hacks that transformed an idea into a product with two billion customers.

    Audiences are inspired to embrace a mindset to create the next great companies.

  • CREATE YOUR OWN SHAZAM MAGIC

    Disrupt Your Thinking. Defy Barriers. Inspire Delight.

    Chris Barton knows a thing or two about bringing bold ideas to life. When he dreamt up Shazam, Chris was told using a phone to identify songs out of thin air was impossible. The rocky path from that audacious idea to becoming Apple’s sixth-largest acquisition is an inspiring story worthy of a Hollywood movie. With over two billion downloads, Shazam delivers pure magic and has changed the way the world discovers music. In this presentation, Chris unpacks lessons learned from creating Shazam using the earliest forms of AI as well as his pioneering involvement with Android at Google and mobile partnerships at Dropbox. Doing something new – disrupting the status quo – tests our resilience and requires an ability to overcome obstacles with fresh eyes. A holder of twelve patents, Chris’s storytelling and insights inspire people to accomplish big things within their own organizations using “creative persistence” and his Start from Zero methodology – new ways of thinking and overcoming barriers. Startups use these concepts to tackle insurmountable obstacles, and you should too – to create Shazam-like magic in defiance of all odds.

    Chris customizes the emphasis of this presentation for each audience. Sample takeaways:

    • Questioning the familiar to distill to the “basic truths”
    • Reimagining what’s possible with AI
    • Overcoming barriers with “creative persistence”
    • Remaining focused on core insights despite resistance
    • Making things simple and friction-free
    • Delighting people by connecting to emotions

Chris Barton Videos

  • Inspirational Keynote Speaker | Chris Barton 2024 Reel
    Inspirational Keynote Speaker | Chris Barton 2024 Reel
  • CHRIS BARTON: What's the name of that song?
    CHRIS BARTON: What's the name of that song?
  • CHRIS BARTON: The Challenge – Create a Database Containing Every Song
    CHRIS BARTON: The Challenge – Create a Database Containing Every Song
See All Videos »

FAQs on booking Chris Barton

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  • What are the speaker fees for Chris Barton

    Speaking fees for Chris Barton, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Chris Barton are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Chris Barton, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Chris Barton speak about?

    Chris Barton is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Belonging, Business, Business Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Marketing, Neurodiversity, Technology.

  • Where does Chris Barton travel from?

    Chris Barton generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Chris Barton’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Chris Barton for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Chris Barton for your next private or corporate function.

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Chris Barton is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Bring Impossible Ideas to Life, Overcome Obstacles with Imagination, Eliminate Effort to Unlock Explosive Growth, Build the Vision You See (But Others Don’t) and CREATE YOUR OWN SHAZAM MAGIC. The estimated speaking fee range to book Chris Barton for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Chris Barton generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Marc Randolph, Erik Qualman, Josh Linkner, Daymond John and Omar Johnson. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Chris Barton for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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