Bill Magnuson
CEO and Cofounder
Bill Magnuson has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2017 and as a member of our board of directors since August 2014. He previously served as our Chief Technology Officer from July 2011 to December 2016. Bill is a cycling commuter and loves adventure. Born and raised in Minnesota, but more recently a New Yorker for 10+ years, Bill is equally at home in the city and the tundra.
Monday, September 28, 2026
Opening Keynote: Run Your Own Race - Standing Out In the Age Of Average
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
In 2011, Bill Magnuson and Jon Hyman bet a company on a future that hadn't arrived yet. Fifteen years later, marketing is standing at the same fork.
Bill Magnuson, CEO and Cofounder of Braze, opens Forge 2026 with an honest read on what AI does and doesn't do for marketers. It won't hand you taste, a point of view, or a reason for anyone to care. What it is is a jetpack for your ambition, and ambition is the only edge that was ever really yours.
Jon Hyman, CTO and Cofounder of Braze, then takes the stage to present the Torchie Awards, celebrating the brands and marketers already turning that ambition into results. And because a night this big deserves an ending to match, comedian Jimmy O. Yang closes it out live.