Muhammad Ziaullah Khan Chishti (born 1971) is a
Pakistani-American
Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...
investor and business executive. He is the founder of
Afiniti
Afiniti Ltd., also called Afiniti, is an American multinational company, multinational data and software company. Founded in 2005, Afiniti is focused on developing artificial intelligence for use in customer call centers. Afiniti is a Unicorn (fin ...
and
TRG Global.
After starting his career as a
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
investment banker, Chishti invented the medical device
Invisalign
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel an ...
and co-founded
Align Technology
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel an ...
to market the product
[ in 1997.][ He served as CEO of Align until 2003, when he founded the investment fund The Resource Group.][ In 2005 he co-founded both Orthoclear][ and ]Afiniti
Afiniti Ltd., also called Afiniti, is an American multinational company, multinational data and software company. Founded in 2005, Afiniti is focused on developing artificial intelligence for use in customer call centers. Afiniti is a Unicorn (fin ...
, the latter of which develops artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
for use in customer call centers. Chishti was a named inventor on around 150 issued patents by 2018,[ and had co-founded three ]unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
startup companies. In 2021, he resigned in disgrace after accusations of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
and violence in his career were made public.
Early life and education
Zia Chishti was born as Wilson Lear in 1971[ in ]Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire i ...
.[ His father was ]American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and his mother Pakistani, and after the death of his father in 1974,[ he and his mother moved to ]Lahore, Pakistan
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
.[ At that time, his name was legally changed to Zia Chishti.][ Although Chishti intended to pursue a business career in Pakistan][ after graduating from the Lahore American School,][ he was persuaded by his mother to return to the United States. In 1988 he moved to ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
[ to begin attending ]Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, where he earned a BA in computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
and economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
[ in 1992.][
Chishti subsequently became an investment banker at ]Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
, working in New York and London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
[ on ]mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
.[ He also worked for ]McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...
[ as a management consultant in London.][ In 1997][ he graduated from ]Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
with an MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
.
Career
Invisalign Technology
Undergoing a course of orthodontic treatment in his early twenties, Chishti envisioned clear plastic appliances instead of metal braces.[ Working on the project in his dorm room at Stanford University,][ his invention, ]Invisalign
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel an ...
, allowed computers to customize plastic retainers to gradually shift patient's teeth.[ Serving as founding CEO and chairman,][ in 1997 he co-founded the medical device company ]Align Technology
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel an ...
in Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California.
Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the nort ...
. The Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
granted Align Technology approval to sell and market Invisalign in 1998.[ Chishti secured funding from ]Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers
Kleiner Perkins, formerly Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), is an American venture capital firm which specializes in investing in incubation, early stage and growth companies. Since its founding in 1972, the firm has backed entrepreneurs ...
, and the company had raised around $140 million in venture capital by 2000. Align Technology listed on the NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
in January 2001 with a valuation of $1 billion. Chishti left Align Technology in 2003[ and sold his shares in the company.][
]
The Resource Group and Orthoclear
After leaving Align Technology,[ Chishti became the founding chairman and CEO of The Resource Group (TRG).][ As his first acquisition with TRG, he purchased the Pakistani operations of Align Technology][ in Lahore, which Align had shed in 2001. Chishti "took the abandoned office filled with laid-off workers and asked them to trust his vision for a call-center empire."][ Chishti listed TRG on the ]Karachi Stock Exchange
The Karachi Stock Exchange ( ur, or PSX-KSE) was a stock exchange located in Karachi, Pakistan. Since 1947, it has been located at the Stock Exchange Building on I. I. Chundrigar Road. It has now been consolidated in the Pakistan Stock Exchan ...
in July 2003.[ By 2005, the company had operations in ]Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and Lahore and was supporting and acquiring American call centers.
In 2005, Chishti and several former Align Technology employees founded the medical device company Orthoclear. The company settled a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Align in 2006, with Align purchasing Orthoclear's intellectual property for $20 million. Chishti subsequently returned his attention to TRG.
Afiniti and unicorn valuations
In 2005 Chishti founded Afiniti
Afiniti Ltd., also called Afiniti, is an American multinational company, multinational data and software company. Founded in 2005, Afiniti is focused on developing artificial intelligence for use in customer call centers. Afiniti is a Unicorn (fin ...
in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
,[ with TRG holding approximately half of the startup's stock.] Serving as CEO and chairman,[ Chishti wrote the first draft of Afiniti's software on his dining room table in 2006.][ The product uses ]artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
to help companies increase call center efficiency.[ Afiniti had a valuation of $1.6 billion by 2017 and was considered a ]unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
, which are companies valued at over $1 billion. Chishti continued to serve as Afiniti's CEO[ and chairman of the board,][ which also included directors such as ]John W. Snow
John William Snow (born August 2, 1939) is an American economist, attorney, and businessman who is the former CEO of CSX Corporation and served as the 73rd United States secretary of the treasury under U.S. President George W. Bush. He replaced ...
and José Maria Aznar
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
.
By 2017, The Resource Group was operating as an equity vehicle[ with a number of subsidiaries, for example the offshore company TRG International.][ It primarily invested in "]business process outsourcing
Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...
(BPO) and related technology companies," according to Chishti.[ By 2018, Chishti was a named inventor on around 150 issued patents and had founded three unicorn companies.][ He was awarded the ]Sitara-e-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially m ...
Award for IT by Pakistani President
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[Mamnoon Hussain
Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...]
in March 2018. That April, Chishti was also a recipient of the MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...
AI Innovator Award.
Views on artificial intelligence
Chishti has been a critic of the "hype" surrounding artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
, arguing society is headed for another AI winter
In the history of artificial intelligence, an AI winter is a period of reduced funding and interest in artificial intelligence research.[People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...](_blank)
'' listed Chishti among the top 50 bachelors in the United States. Chishti works out of Washington, D.C.[ He is an avid chess player and skier.]
In 2020, Chishti married Sarah Pobereskin in Bermuda.
Sexual assault accusations
On November 16, 2021, a former female employee of Afiniti, Tatiana Spottiswoode, testified in front of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...
that after months of sexual harassment, Chishti sexually assaulted and beat her while they were traveling together on a business trip to Brazil in 2017. It was also alleged that he grabbed her buttocks in front of coworkers, and called her a "bitch" after she refused to hold his hand.
On November 18, 2021, Chishti left his roles at Afiniti. On November 28, 2021, he resigned from all roles at TRG and its affiliates.
In December 2022, Chishti filed a federal defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
lawsuit against Spottiswoode, saying she had "weaponized" a "consensual love affair" and had lied under oath. The lawsuit was criticized as a disincentive to speak against rich abusers who could afford to bully witnesses with the threat of expensive litigation. A week later, the House Judiciary Committee
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...
that Spottiswoode had testified to entered a 2019 arbitration tribunal ruling into the Congressional Record in support of the veracity of Spottiswoode's claims. Journalist Michael Schaffer called the document "utterly devastating for Chishti": the arbitrator and his investigation had found that Chishti's conduct was "outrageous in character and extreme in degree, going beyond all possible bounds of decency"; that Chisti had groped Spottiswoode in front of colleagues, insulted her, brutally beat her, and had then lied about his activities after the fact; that Chishti had harassed other young female Afiniti employees and they had received monetary settlements in addition to Spottiswoode; and that the company had taken no action to attempt to prevent similar conduct from occurring in the future. It is speculated that Spottiswoode could not release the document herself without breaking the confidentiality requirements and imperiling her settlement, hence why the Judiciary Committee did it instead.
References
External links
Biography at Afiniti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chishti, Zia
Living people
1971 births
20th-century American inventors
21st-century American inventors
American people of Pakistani descent
American chief executives
American emigrants to Pakistan
American patent holders
Columbia University alumni
Lahore American School alumni
Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Stanford University alumni