{"id":"rich-widmann","title":"Rich Widmann","content":"**Rich Widmann** is a lawyer and senior business operator with extensive experience in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors. He serves as the Global Head of [Strategy](https://iq.wiki/wiki/strategy) for [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) at Google Cloud, where he co-founded the company's first dedicated [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) initiatives.  [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Cjt3lnZO9vjbRe4J) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-RTuu0xFwzYWY3Y0K) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa) \n\n## Education\n\nRichard Widmann earned a Juris Doctor from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (2013–2015). He also completed a Master of Science in Education at the University of Pennsylvania (2011–2013) and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the The College of New Jersey (2007–2011). [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa) \n\n## Career\n\n### **Early Career**\n\nBefore entering the legal profession, Richard Widmann worked as a middle school teacher at Mastery Schools from 2011 to 2013. He also held an IT compliance and operations co-op position at Johnson & Johnson between 2009 and 2012, where his responsibilities included supporting enterprise software deployment, assisting with process improvement initiatives, and contributing to supply-chain technology projects. These roles provided early experience across education, operations, and corporate environments.\n\n### Legal Career and Transition into Web3\n\nWidmann began his legal career at Sidley Austin LLP, where he worked from 2015 to 2019 as an associate attorney handling securities, regulatory enforcement, and financial corruption matters. His work included advising on disputes involving digital asset projects, exchange listings, and regulatory investigations, which contributed to his increasing involvement with emerging blockchain-related legal issues. During this period, he began advising founders and companies associated with the Ethereum ecosystem on compliance and governance considerations.\n\nHe later joined Google, initially serving in product counsel roles focused on regulatory and digital asset matters before becoming Head of Strategy, Web3, within Google Cloud in 2022. In this capacity, he contributes to strategic initiatives related to blockchain infrastructure, digital asset adoption, and enterprise engagement with decentralized technologies. His work has also included participation in industry governance and standards discussions, including involvement with the legal and regulatory committee associated with Hedera.\n\nAlongside his industry roles, Widmann has held academic appointments as an adjunct professor of law at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and the The University of Texas School of Law, where he teaches courses addressing blockchain, cryptocurrency, and related legal frameworks. He has also served in governance roles within the financial services sector, including as an independent board member of Summit National Bank and as an independent board member and audit committee chair at Fortress Trust. These positions reflect a career path that combines legal practice, corporate strategy, and institutional oversight within both traditional finance and digital asset markets.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-Cjt3lnZO9vjbRe4J)  [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-RTuu0xFwzYWY3Y0K)  [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa) ","summary":"Rich Widmann is the Global Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud, co-founding its initial Web3 efforts. He is also a lawyer and an adjunct professor at Nort...","images":[{"id":"QmSb2BPyexGg75CAZwZnUhTagK3RVBxaBpqvzEC53DsYBt","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"tags":[{"id":"Ethereum"},{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Speakers"},{"id":"Regulations"}],"media":[],"metadata":[{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/RichJWidmann"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-widmann-a816a54b/"},{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"Cjt3lnZO9vjbRe4J\",\"url\":\"https://state-of-crypto.coindesk.com/agenda/speaker/-richard-widmann\",\"description\":\"CoinDesk speaker bio for Rich Widmann\",\"timestamp\":1772069913743},{\"id\":\"RTuu0xFwzYWY3Y0K\",\"url\":\"https://www.salt.org/speakers/richard-widmann\",\"description\":\"SALT speaker bio for Richard Widmann\",\"timestamp\":1772069913743},{\"id\":\"q7RyzVDagpHP3HXJ\",\"url\":\"https://x.com/RichJWidmann\",\"description\":\"Rich Widmann's professional X profile\",\"timestamp\":1772069913743},{\"id\":\"KioYUCWq77PN9oEa\",\"description\":\"LinkedIn: Richard Widmann\",\"timestamp\":1772152828355,\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-widmann-a816a54b/\"}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"\"https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmRShYMma4QKuNsfWhstYhMKCuR7vAwQsBcNJfSiCSYcpU\""},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Added 2 milestone events\""},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmRShYMma4QKuNsfWhstYhMKCuR7vAwQsBcNJfSiCSYcpU"}],"events":[{"date":"2017-01-01","title":"Began Specializing in Crypto Law","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Began representing founders and startups within the Ethereum ecosystem in high-stakes legal disputes.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"406e5f83-ddc4-4f05-874d-e4abeb68646c"},{"date":"2022-01-01","title":"Joined Google Cloud","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Announced his position as Head of Strategy for Digital Assets, co-founding Google's first Web3 efforts.","link":"https://x.com/RichJWidmann/status/1486794829929824263","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"dffd31f8-ba44-4079-97a9-0f7b1ff68e7b"},{"date":"2022-10-01","title":"Announced Google Cloud and Coinbase Partnership","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Announced a major partnership enabling Google Cloud to accept cryptocurrency for payments and utilize Coinbase's custody tools.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"1d3d3bcc-34cd-437d-9154-9864692070db"},{"date":"2024-06-01","title":"Speaker at Coinbase State of Crypto Summit","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Spoke on the 'Pushing Payments Forward' panel at the Coinbase State of Crypto Summit.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"id":"74ec013f-9ba5-4bd8-a8c7-81a4c04c5015"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8AF7a19a26d8FBC48dEfB35AEfb15Ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"eec55da0-87af-4bbf-98cc-7245e145c0c9\",\"title\":\"Rich Widmann\",\"description\":\"Rich Widmann is the Global Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud, co-founding its initial Web3 efforts. He is also a lawyer and an adjunct professor at Northwestern Pritzker University School of Law, specializing in fintech and regulation.\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-02-27T01:01:19.423Z\",\"category\":\"people\",\"status\":{\"icon\":\"RiGlobalLine\",\"label\":\"Wiki Updated\",\"iconClassName\":\"text-green-500\"},\"user\":{\"name\":\"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889\",\"address\":\"0x4a2bC97afBF41a2Cbf4b4628F63420682Ff4CF2a\"},\"button\":{\"label\":\"View Summary\",\"icon\":\"RiFileTextLine\"},\"summarySections\":[{\"title\":\"Introduction\",\"subtitle\":\"The introductory paragraph was updated, removing details that were moved and expanded upon in the Career section.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":2,\"changes\":[\"Removed information about his adjunct professorship and how his legal background informs his work.\",\"Added a new citation [[4]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa).\"]},{\"title\":\"Education\",\"subtitle\":\"A new 'Education' section was added to detail Richard Widmann's academic background.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added details about his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University, a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts from The College of New Jersey [[4]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa).\"]},{\"title\":\"Career\",\"subtitle\":\"The 'Career' section was extensively rewritten and restructured to include early career information and provide more detail on his recent roles.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":3,\"changes\":[\"Added a new 'Early Career' subsection describing his work as a middle school teacher and at Johnson & Johnson.\",\"Rewrote the 'Legal Career and Transition into Web3' subsection to cover his time at Sidley Austin LLP, product counsel roles at Google, involvement with Hedera, adjunct professorships at two universities, and board memberships at Summit National Bank and Fortress Trust [[1]](#cite-id-Cjt3lnZO9vjbRe4J) [[2]](#cite-id-RTuu0xFwzYWY3Y0K) [[4]](#cite-id-KioYUCWq77PN9oEa).\",\"Removed the previous content detailing his work on FIFA bribery schemes and the standalone 'Google Cloud' subsection.\"]},{\"title\":\"References\",\"subtitle\":\"The list of references was updated with a new source.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added a reference to Richard Widmann's LinkedIn profile.\"]}]}]}"}