Born at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Thompson attended John F. Kennedy High School in Riviera Beach, Florida (now Suncoast Community High School). He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1971 and an Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management in 1983.
He is a former vice-president at International Business Machines Corporation and the former chief executive officer (Chief Executive Officer) of Symantec. Thompson later became an independent director on the board of Microsoft, and on February 4, 2014, he was named the chairman of the board. He led the search for Microsoft"s next Chief Executive Officer.
As a result, Satya Nadella was selected.
A large advocate of outdoor conservation, he works largely with Ducks Unlimited. Before moving on to become Symantec"s Chief Executive Officer in 1999, Thompson"s 28-year career with International Business Machines Corporation Corporation included senior executive positions in sales, marketing and software development, and lastly as general manager of International Business Machines Corporation Americas as well as membership in the company’s Worldwide Management Council.
In September 2002, Thompson was appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC) which makes recommendations regarding the security of the critical infrastructure of the United States. Thompson purchased a 20 percent share of the Golden State Warriors National Basketball Association team in 2005 along with three other Silicon Valley businessmen under the umbrella of the Bay Area Basketball Partners, Limited liability company
In April 2006, Forbes published a list of the most highly compensated Chief executive officers.
Thompson was ranked #8 with a total compensation of United States$71.84 million.
Thompson retired from his Chief Executive Officer post on April 4, 2009, turning the company"s reins over to long-time Symantec executive Enrique Salem. Board memberships
Microsoft
Seagate Technology
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Cluster
Illinois Governor"s Human Resource Advisory Council
Teach Foreign America
Illumio
Liquid Robotics
In 2010, Thompson was recognized for his commitment to education in Silicon Valley at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation"s 2010 Pioneers & Purpose event. On February 4, 2014, Thompson was appointed as chairman of Microsoft, succeeding Bill Gates.
He stated that he joined the board because he had "admired Microsoft for many, many, many years".
Thompson said he considered Microsoft to be "one of the true, iconic companies in our country". Thompson was a strong supporter of Barack Obama"s campaign during the 2008 election cycle.
In January 2009, news sources reported that President-elect Obama was considering Thompson to fill the Secretary of Commerce post in the Obama administration. Ultimately, Senator Judd Gregg was chosen for the post but withdrew his name on Thursday, February 12.
Thompson again remained a potential candidate until the successful appointment of Gary Locke.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appointed Thompson to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in 2009.
Prior to being named chairman, Thompson had been a member of the Microsoft Board for two years.
