Christopher Wylie

Beautiful People Of The Month – August

Biography

Independent Speaker

Name – Christopher Wylie

Country – Canada 

Title/Occupation – Independent Speaker 

Nationality – Canadian 

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Who is Christopher Wylie?

COOLEST PEOPLE IN TECH

The Americans call him “a pink-haired, nose-ringed oracle sent from the future.” Best known for his role in setting up – and then taking down – the cyber warfare firm Cambridge Analytica, Chris has been listed in TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World, Forbes’30 Under 30, Politico’s 50 Most Influential People in Politics and Business Insider’s 100 Coolest People in Tech. Christopher Wylie is a Canadian data consultant who previously worked at Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm led by Alexander Nix. He served as a senior adviser in both the British and Canadian governments and has extensive experience using technology to improve communication and citizen engagement.

Early Life of Christopher Wylie

Born to parents Kevin Wylie and Joan Carruthers, a physician, and a psychiatrist. Christopher Wylie was raised in Victoria, British Columbia. As a child, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. He left school in 2005 at the age of 16 without qualification, and when asked about his “probable destiny” on his school leaver’s yearbook page, he stated, “just another dissociative smear merchant peddling backroom hackery in its purest Machiavellian form”. In 2010, at the age of 20, he began studying law at the London School of Economics, graduating with an LLB in 2013, specializing in technology, media, and IP law, and being awarded the Dechert Prize for Property Law.

During his time as a student, he had worked as a micro-targeting and digital campaign strategist for the Liberal Democrats in the UK. In 2013 he enrolled for a Ph.D. in predicting fashions trends at the University of the Arts London but subsequently dropped out when working for SCL Elections. He later completed a master’s degree in Political Management at George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Christopher Wylie as a Whistle-blower

In 2013, Wylie began working as a contractor for SCL Election, and its offshoot for American elections, an international consultancy specializing in data-driven psychographic targeting in elections.

Christopher Wylie worked as the former Director of Research for Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, and as he puts it, the person who created “Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindfuck tool.” In 2018, he worked with The Guardian and the New York Times as a whistle-blower to expose that Cambridge Analytica had allegedly illegally obtained and exploited the data of 87 million Facebook users for the purposes of creating targeted political campaigns for the 2016 US presidential elections. Wylie mentioned, “Facebook is no longer just a company. It’s a doorway into the minds of the American people and Mark Zuckerberg left that door open for Cambridge Analytics, the Russians, and who knows how many others.”

On the 18th March 2018, While gave a series of detailed interviews to “The observer” with revelations about this time at SCL/Cambridge Analytics, presenting himself as a “whistle-blower”. He subsequently provided testimony and materials to a range of inquiries and legislatures around the world, and his revelations were instrumental in the May 2018 collapse of Cambridge Analytica.

His work evidence also exposed the deep links between the Alt-Right and Russian intelligence networks, leading to major ongoing FBI and NCA investigations in the US and UK. With his neon hair and brutally honest candor, Chris engages audiences around the world and makes AI understandable, disturbing – and yet somehow compelling. His mind-bending stories about the power of weaponized algorithms and information warfare have garnered audiences of over 15,000 people at some of the leading global events, including Web Summit, the Royal Institute for International Affairs (‘Chatham House’), the European Commission and Forbes 30 Under 30. When Chris speaks out about the future of technology, governments around the world take note – he has testified before the United States Congress five times, as well as at the parliaments of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The spread of false information for political gain is nothing new, but today we can use data to identify who wants to hear the story, and exactly which message they’re most susceptible to. Stories today are being used not just to distort reality, but to create new ones. Militaries around the world are launching programs to be better able to fight information warfare.

It takes courage to take a stand for such a topic!

Current Life of Christopher Wylie

Splitting his time between London, New York, LA and Stockholm, Christopher is currently the Director of Research for Hennes & Mauritz (‘H&M’), the largest global fashion brand. His work on quantifying fashion style with AI systems is already having a major impact on the fashion sector. A recognized expert in cultural trend forecasting, Chris also writes for the youth culture and fashion magazine Dazed and has been featured in Vogue, GQ, Esquire, and PAPER. In a previous life, Chris worked inside the highest levels of the British government and is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

Such a courageous person he is! It takes a lot to stand for truth in this world. The world definitely needs more such beautiful people.

Author – Rachna Mesvaniya