Wael Ghonim earned a degree in computer engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from the American University in Cairo. He joined Google in 2008, rising to become Head of Marketing for Google Middle East and North Africa in 2010. One year later Ghonim became an important figure in the 2011 Egyptian uprising by creating a Facebook page to protest the death of Khaled Said, a young man killed at the hands of police. Upon learning of Ghonim’s Internet activism, Egyptian authorities detained him for questioning. He was held for 11 days before the international community successfully lobbied for his release. Ghonim is on sabbatical from Google and plans to launch an NGO supporting education and technology in Egypt. His book Revolution 2.0 was published in January 2012. Ghonim was named to the TIME 100 in 2011.
Is There Still Hope for a Democratic Egypt?
It is seeming increasingly unlikely that Egypt will achieve a democratic government by April, says the man who helped broadcast the revolution