Jared Cohen

Jared Cohen – Life, Career, and Insights

Jared Cohen (born November 24, 1981) is an American technologist, strategist, and business leader. Formerly a State Department advisor, founder of Jigsaw (Google’s incubator for security & human rights tech), and now a senior executive at Goldman Sachs, he writes and speaks widely on digital governance, geopolitics, and the future of power.

Introduction

Jared Andrew Cohen is a distinctive figure at the intersection of technology, foreign policy, and innovation. Having worked as a U.S. State Department official advising on counter-radicalization and digital diplomacy, then leading tech initiatives at Google (Jigsaw), and now heading global affairs and innovation at Goldman Sachs, Cohen bridges worlds rarely traversed in one career. He is also an accomplished author, exploring leadership, presidential legacy, and how technology reshapes society. His trajectory offers valuable lessons on how to operate across domains and craft influence in a digital age.

Early Life and Education

Jared Cohen was born on November 24, 1981 in Weston, Connecticut.

For his undergraduate studies, Cohen attended Stanford University, graduating in 2004 with majors in history and political science and a minor in African studies. Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, obtaining a master’s (M.Phil) in international relations.

Career and Achievements

State Department & Digital Diplomacy

Cohen began his public career at the U.S. State Department’s Policy Planning Staff in 2006, serving under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In that role, Cohen’s portfolio included counter-terrorism, counter-radicalization, digital outreach, youth and education, public diplomacy, and Internet freedom—especially in the Middle East, South Asia, and Muslim-majority countries.

He was also a proponent of what came to be called “21st century statecraft”, blending diplomacy with technology, networks, and non-state actors.

Google, Jigsaw & Technology Incubation

In 2010, Cohen left government service and became Google’s first Director of Ideas, advising CEO Eric Schmidt. Google Ideas, a think/do tank focused on applying technology to global challenges—such as extremism, censorship, and online safety.

Later, Google Ideas evolved into Jigsaw, an independent Alphabet subsidiary. As CEO of Jigsaw, Cohen led efforts to build tech interventions addressing threats to open societies—like disinformation, censorship, and digital authoritarianism.

Under his leadership, Jigsaw developed tools and research projects—some controversially—aimed at thwarting extremist messaging, protecting journalists, and increasing access to communication tools in oppressive regimes.

Goldman Sachs & Global Affairs

In August 2022, Cohen joined Goldman Sachs as a partner, becoming President of Global Affairs and Co-Head of the Office of Applied Innovation / Global Institute.

Cohen has also continued writing and speaking on geopolitics and presidential transitions, contributing articles and books.

Authorship & Thought Leadership

Cohen is the author or co-author of several influential books and essays:

• One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide (2006)

• Children of Jihad: A Young American’s Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East (2007)

• The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations, and Business, with Eric Schmidt (2013)

• Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America (2019)

• Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House (2024)

His writing often explores how technology and power interact, how institutions evolve, and how leadership endures beyond office.

Historical & Intellectual Context

Cohen’s career unfolds amid rapid digital transformation, the rise of social media, increasing geopolitical competition over information, and debates about the governance of technology. His work reflects a belief that traditional diplomacy must integrate with digital tools and networks to be effective in the 21st century.

He is part of a cohort of technologists and policy thinkers attempting to straddle statecraft, innovation, and public purpose—a challenging and sometimes contested position.

Legacy & Influence

1. Bridging diplomacy and tech
   Cohen helped popularize the idea that foreign policy must operate in digital arenas—through networks, platforms, and influence.

2. Institution-building in “tech for good”
   Through Google Ideas / Jigsaw, he institutionalized experimental approaches to global challenges using technology.

3. Shaping elite discourse
   His books and public commentary influence how policymakers, tech leaders, and investors think about digital sovereignty, authoritarianism, and global risk.

4. Moving into finance & strategic tech
   His transition to Goldman Sachs suggests how cross-domain profiles are increasingly valuable in governance, development, and institutional strategy.

5. Modeling a flexible career across domains
   His path—from government to tech incubator to financial institution—illustrates evolving roles for technologists in power and policy networks.

Personality, Style & Strengths

• Cohen projects curiosity, intellectual ambition, and willingness to operate in ambiguity.

• He seeks to synthesize across disciplines: politics, technology, strategy, and institutional design.

• His public voice is polished, accessible, and future-oriented—often framing challenges in generational terms.

• He embraces risk and experimentation (e.g. launching new institutional ventures) but also has to navigate institutional constraints and criticism.

• He often acts as a translator: translating technical possibilities for policymakers, and conveying geopolitical forces to technologists.

Selected Quotes

Here are a few illustrative statements by Jared Cohen:

“In the 21st century, power is increasingly a competition of ideas, networks, and influence—not just of armies, resources, or borders.”
— (paraphrase of his speeches and writings)

“Technology doesn’t solve geopolitics—but geopolitics will shape every technology.”
— (common refrain in his public commentary)

“We need to design institutions, not just products.”
— (reflecting his institutional mindset)

“Presidents leave office—but power and influence do not. Life after power often reveals more about a leader’s character than life in office.”
— (from Life After Power)

These capture recurring themes in his thought: architecture of systems, persistence of influence, and interplay of tech and governance.

Lessons from Jared Cohen

From Cohen’s journey, some lessons for emerging thinkers and leaders:

1. Cross-boundary capacity matters
   Operate at the intersection of fields—policy, tech, strategy—to tackle complex challenges.

2. Institutional leverage over individual brilliance
   Building organizational platforms (Jigsaw, innovation initiatives) can scale impact beyond singular projects.

3. Think long horizon, but act now
   Identify future inflection points (e.g. digital authoritarianism) and deploy early bets rather than wait for consensus.

4. Be a cultural converter
   Translate ideas across languages—technical, policy, business—to mobilize broader coalitions.

5. Maintain narrative footing
   In domains of power, control of narrative, framing, and legitimacy is as important as expertise.

6. Adapt your role over time
   Cohen’s shift from government to tech to finance shows that influence can evolve—leaders must adapt to new architectures of power.

Conclusion

Jared Cohen is a compelling example of a modern polymath: strategist, technologist, diplomat, and institutional builder. His life shows how one can move fluidly across sectors while maintaining a coherent mission: to shape how technology, power, and societies coevolve. In a world where digital infrastructure and geopolitical competition merge, Cohen offers a model of how to build, narrate, and influence institutions that navigate the next century’s challenges.