About William
V I S I O N
To help every Black person interested in having a career or business in technology get into the field and prosper.
M I S S I O N
To empower Blacks to build wealth and agency through equity ownership of technology companies. #tequity
“William is a rare combination of technology sage
and empathetic change leader.”
— Christy Johnson, CEO, Artemis Connection
William A. Adams is a software engineering trailblazer, award-winning DEI innovator, and philanthropist. After rolling out critical XML code globally in many of Microsoft's core products, he was named the first Technical Advisor to the CTO, Kevin Scott.
While leading and mentoring young developers, often as the only Black man in the room, William found that DEI hiring was always someone else’s problem – until he decided to make it his.
Acting as an intrapreneur, William has founded and overseen global initiatives that revolutionize how underserved communities access jobs and launch careers at the company. He spent three years building the Engineering Excellence program in Hyderabad, India, designed to empower local engineers to succeed on a world stage.
“Tequity is about agency and self-determination. Don’t wait for permission to be prosperous.”
— William A. Adams
THE LEAP PROGRAM
As co-founder of the LEAP apprenticeship program – named Microsoft's D&I Program of the Year in 2020 – he helped launch the training of more than 26 cohorts of developers and program managers around the world. Today, 98% of LEAP participants have jobs in Microsoft or other high-tech companies.
“Your life experience counts. We’ve trained and hired baristas to code who know customer service. You are enough.”
— William A. Adams
US VIRGIN ISLANDS
In 2021, he envisioned and spearheaded a collaboration with the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. William intends to transform their relationship with technology by building critical technical infrastructure, establishing training programs, and creating opportunities for the next generation of technical talent to prosper. In addition to groundbreaking work for Microsoft, William personally pledged $200,000 to kickstart tech initiatives throughout the islands. Learn more about his company Cruzan Global on our Ventures Page.
“I’m just handing out the seeds. It’s the intelligence, tenacity, and hard work of the people of the USVI that will grow something astonishing.”
— William A. Adams
ADAMATION
Early in his 30-year career in software engineering, William was one of the first Black entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Through his company, Adamation, he developed mission-critical custom enterprise apps for Steve Jobs' NeXT computers and pioneered a network instant messaging service purchased by the CIA. His work earned two patents. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, documented William’s contributions to the field in their permanent archive.
“A bank once turned away my brother and me when we tried to DEPOSIT money. Bias is real. Don't let it stop your dreams. Find another way.”
— William A. Adams
Tearsheet from Taligent featuring Adamation. Courtesy Stephan Adams.
The EV3NT
Today, in addition to his role at Microsoft, William is the philanthropic founder of The EV3NT, a collaborative, community-based hackathon designed to solve real-world problems. He also regularly contributes to his local public school system to better STEM education for all children.
PODCASTING
A frequent podcast guest on such shows as That Tech Show, You Belong in the C-Suite, and Black Millennial Money, William is an audience favorite for his empathetic and humorous style. He speaks with candor and accountability on the future of technology, leadership, Black generational wealth creation, and the necessity of diverse ownership of technology companies. Please see our Media page for a complete listing of his podcast appearances or schedule him as a guest on the Book a Podcast page.
“Also, the latest episode on Tech is brilliant, brilliant. So many gems! Your guest William is incredible, what a guy!”
— Black Millennial Money podcast listener
HUSBAND & FATHER
When he's not tinkering with bits and bytes, the husband and father of three hosts videos, builds kitchen cabinets, knits, and tries to recapture the exhilaration of riding a motorcycle in India…
