Jim Rutt

James Patrick Rutt (December 11, 1953 – May 27, 2026) was an American businessman who was the CEO of Network Solutions, and the chairman of the Santa Fe Institute.

Early life Rutt was born on December 11, 1953. In 1975, he received a bachelor's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later ran technology operations for Thomson Corporation. He was hired in 1999 during the dot-com boom, and negotiated the company's $15 billion acquisition by Verisign, where it continued operating as an independent subsidiary. In March 2001, after the acquisition, he subsequently stepped down from his position as a Verisign executive. In 2014, Rutt co-founded a makerspace in Staunton, Virginia with software engineer Dan Funk. Rutt was a trustee of the Santa Fe Institute, a multi-disciplinary research organization, and was its chairman before retiring in 2012.

He hosted a podcast called The Jim Rutt Show.

Death Rutt died on May 27, 2026, at the age of 72.