Hasso Plattner and four colleagues left IBM in 1972 to launch German enterprise software company SAP, which went public in 1988. He has served as chairman of the SAP supervisory board since May 2003, when he stepped down as CEO. His nonprofit Hasso Plattner Institute focuses on research and teaching in IT systems engineering, offering degree programs and free online courses. The institute has established Design Thinking schools at the University of Potsdam, Stanford University and the University of Cape Town. A signee of the Giving Pledge, Plattner has supported HIV/AIDS and TB prevention, youth care and education, and conservation research in Africa.
