One Billion Happy

One Billion Happy is a global happiness mission and foundation founded by Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer at Google [X]. The initiative grew out of Gawdat's personal tragedy — the loss of his son Ali in 2014 — and the happiness model he developed in response, which became the basis of his bestselling book Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy (2017). The foundation's stated aim is to make one billion people happier, and it operates as a mission-driven brand spanning books, podcasts, speaking engagements, and digital content. Mo Gawdat spent over three decades in the technology industry, working at IBM, NCR, Microsoft, and Google, where he helped launch close to half of Google's global operations and later led business at Google [X], the division behind projects such as self-driving cars, Project Loon, and Makani. He has co-founded more than 30 companies and mentored startups globally. His work with One Billion Happy sits alongside his roles as a bestselling author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and Chief AI Officer at Flight Story. The One Billion Happy brand is expressed through Gawdat's publishing and media output. His books include Solve for Happy (2017), Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World (2021), That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain (2022), and Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living (2024), all of which became international bestsellers. He also launched Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat in 2020, which became a #1 mental health podcast globally during its run across 319 ad-free episodes. These works carry forward the mission to increase human resilience against unhappiness and stress. One Billion Happy operates globally through digital channels, live events, and partnerships, with its website serving as a hub for the mission. The foundation is privately held and closely associated with its founder. Its positioning blends engineering-inspired thinking about happiness with practical tools for well-being, appealing to a broad international audience interested in mental health, resilience, and personal development.

One Billion Happy was founded by Mo Gawdat, a technology executive who spent over three decades at IBM, NCR, Microsoft, and Google. At Google, he helped launch close to half of the company's global operations and later led business at Google [X], the division behind projects such as self-driving cars, Project Loon, and Makani. He has co-founded more than 30 companies and mentored startups globally. The initiative's origins trace to 2014, when Gawdat lost his son Ali. In response, he developed a happiness model that became the basis of his bestselling book Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy, published in 2017. The book sparked a global mission to make one billion people happy, which became the foundation's central aim. Gawdat expanded the mission through media and publishing. In 2020 he launched Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat, which became a #1 mental health podcast globally during its run across 319 ad-free episodes. His second book, Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World (2021), predicted the rise and implications of AI and was named one of the Best Business Books of 2021 by The Times. He returned to wellness themes with That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain (2022) and Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living (2024), both international bestsellers that carried forward the mission to increase human resilience against unhappiness and stress. Alongside One Billion Happy, Gawdat serves as Chief AI Officer at Flight Story and founder of Emma.Love. The foundation operates globally through its website, digital content, and speaking engagements, and remains privately held and closely associated with its founder.

• 2024

  Publication of Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living.

• 2022

  Publication of That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain.

• 2021

  Publication of Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World, named one of The Times' Best Business Books of 2021.

• 2020

  Launch of Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat, which became a #1 mental health podcast globally.

• 2017

  Publication of Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy, sparking the One Billion Happy mission.

• 2014

  Mo Gawdat loses his son Ali, prompting the development of his happiness model.

A mission-driven global happiness foundation and media brand blending engineering-inspired happiness models with practical well-being tools.

• 2017

  Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy

• 2020

  Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

• 2021

  Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World

• 2022

  That Little Voice in Your Head: Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain

• 2024

  Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living

1. 1Mo Gawdat | Bestselling Author and Keynote Speakermogawdat.com
2. 2One Billion Happywikidata.org