Richard Widmann

Rich Widmann is the Global Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud and a founding member of Google’s Web3 business. During his tenure, Google has launched a number of developer tools used by top protocols, as well as a proprietary, high throughput blockchain Google Cloud Universal Ledger designed for cross-border payments. In addition, his team has led several Alphabet-wide initiatives aimed at broadening Google’s exposure to Web3, including efforts to custody cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana, and more recently, efforts to send and receive stablecoins as a form of payment across business units like Cloud and YouTube.  

Rich is also an independent board member of the cryptocurrency exchange OK Group and of a nationally chartered bank. Besides his adjunct position at UT Law, Rich is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern Pritzker University School of Law and Kellogg School of Business where he teaches a popular course on cryptocurrency technology and the law.

Prior to Google, Rich was a litigator and member of the firm’s regulatory and white-collar investigations team, where he helped investigate and recover millions of dollars in connection with the FIFA World Cup bribery schemes. Rich’s experience in handling federal regulatory investigations led him to the world of cryptocurrency, where he began representing founders in the Ethereum ecosystem in high-stakes regulatory engagements and litigation.

 Richard holds a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law, a Master's from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in History from the College of New Jersey. Before he practiced law, he was a middle school English teacher in Philadelphia with Teach for America.