Tom Cochran
Trusted Advisor to CEOs & Boards
AI Adoption, Growth & Organizational Change
About
Former presidential appointee at the Obama White House and U.S. State Department, and later CTO of The Atlantic. I work with a small number of C-suite leaders on the moments that don’t have a clear answer: AI adoption, governance, regulatory positioning, and decisions that are too consequential to get wrong.
My foundation is technical. I was the first engineer at the digital firm that powered $1.2 billion in grassroots fundraising for two presidential campaigns. Today I bring that fluency to executive strategy, helping PE-backed firms, growth-stage ventures, and mission-driven organizations move faster with less risk.
Most leaders I work with think they have a technology problem. What they usually discover is that the technology is the surface. The work underneath is people, culture, and the discipline required to actually move.
My analysis of the hidden cost of organizational email is cited in Cal Newport’s Deep Work. My writing has appeared in the Harvard Business Review and The Washington Post.
Who I Work With
Founders and Growth-Stage Leaders
Translate vision into language that moves people.
I help founders and growth-stage leaders close the gap between what they’ve built and how the market understands it, especially when AI is changing the category faster than the pitch deck.
Executives
Under Pressure
Contain risk while accelerating what compounds.
I help executives identify which AI risks to govern and which innovations to accelerate, then build the decision frameworks that let leadership move without outrunning the organization’s ability to absorb change.
Operators
Facing Complexity
Position before the regulations lock in, not after.
I help organizations whose markets are being shaped by AI policy still being written, clarifying where they stand, what the regulation means for their growth, and how to move before the window closes.
Where I’ve Worked
Oversaw WhiteHouse.gov and co-created “We the People,” the petition site that helped millions engage with government.
Led a 140-person team and $40M digital effort to modernize U.S. diplomacy, expand outreach, and build global trust.
Led digital transformation as CTO of The Atlantic and Quartz, reshaping platforms, teams, and audience strategy.
Built the original tech stack enabling $1.2B in donations across major presidential campaigns.
Led a $25M business unit driving digital transformation for federal agencies, nonprofits, and global enterprises.
Oversaw $20M P&L and led integrated marketing ops to modernize client strategy, content, and communications.
Where I’ve Spoken
Over the past decade, I’ve spoken in more than 20 countries at events ranging from private briefings at the New Zealand Parliament to global stages like ad:tech Tokyo, the Dublin Tech Summit, and Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you’re organizing an event and want to explore these themes, get in touch.
Let’s Start a Conversation
I take on a limited number of advisory engagements each year. Most begin with a focused diagnostic where I ask the questions that don’t get asked internally and reflect back what I’ve found in a form you can act on. If you’re facing a decision that matters and want an outside perspective that doesn’t come with a predetermined answer, reach out.