Ken Howery

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Ken Howery
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Official portrait, 2025
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27th United States Ambassador to Denmark
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 5, 2025[1]
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAlan M. Leventhal
United States Ambassador to Sweden
In office
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PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAzita Raji
Succeeded byErik Ramanathan
Personal details
BornKenneth Alan Howery
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Stanford University (BA)
Known for
Co-founder and CFO at PayPal; Co-founder and partner at Founders Fund

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Kenneth Alan Howery (/ˈhaʊəri/; born November 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur and diplomat who is currently serving as the 27th United States Ambassador to Denmark. He is a co-founder of PayPal[2] and Founders Fund.[3] He served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021 under President Donald Trump.[4]

On December 22, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Howery as the next U.S. ambassador to Denmark.[5] On October 7, 2025, the nomination was confirmed by the Senate.[6]

Early life and education

Howery was born in 1975 in Texas.[7][8] Later graduating from Stanford University in 1998 with a B.A. in economics. While at Stanford, he was managing editor of The Stanford Review, a student-run newspaper founded by Peter Thiel.[9]

Career

The same year he graduated, he co-founded PayPal with Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Elon Musk, and Max Levchin. The group of founders became known as the PayPal Mafia, which included other peers and early investors. From 1998 to 2002, Howery served as PayPal's CFO. Following PayPal's acquisition by eBay in 2002, Howery served as eBay's Director of Corporate Development until 2003. Howery then rejoined Thiel in 2004 at Clarium Capital Management, where he served as vice president of private equity, as well as a member of the research and trading teams.[10]

In March 2012, the World Economic Forum named Howery a Young Global Leader,[11] a community of “socially-minded men and women selected under the age of 40, who operate as a force for good to overcome barriers that elsewhere stand in the way of progress."[12] He is also a member of the Selection Committee for the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers Program.[13]

In 2005, Howery and Thiel, along with fellow PayPal alumnus, Nosek, started Founders Fund, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $3 billion under management, where he served as co-founder and partner. He has served on the boards of Quantcast and ZocDoc. In 2010, Venture Capital Journal named Howery one of the Top 10 VCs under 36.[14] He has lectured on entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and Stanford, and has helped students at UC Berkeley and the McCombs School of Business develop business models.

Howery is a member of The Explorers Club, a non-profit group that promotes scientific exploration.[15]

Howery is an advisor to Kiva, a 501(c)(3) charity organization which enables people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in over 80 countries. He is a member of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, which has a stated goal of increasing the United States' economic competitiveness in the global marketplace.[13]

Howery's net worth stands at $1.5 billion.[16]

Diplomacy

Kingdom of Sweden

File:Ambassador Ken Howery Swearing-In.jpg
Ken Howery is formally sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden.

On January 16, 2019, Howery was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Sweden.[17][18] Following a confirmation hearing on May 16, 2019, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably reported Howery's nomination to the Senate, which confirmed Howery on September 17, 2019, by a vote of 62–32.[19][20] In his confirmation hearing, Howery stated his priorities as ambassador would include pursuing expanded economic and trade relationships, advancing mutual security commitments, and promoting science, technology and entrepreneurship opportunities.[21]

Howery was sworn in as ambassador on October 10, 2019,[22] and presented his credentials to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf on November 7, 2019.[23] 

As ambassador, Howery was active across a number of policy areas.[24] Howery engaged with Swedish officials on defense issues and military strategy, including pressing for increased interoperability of U.S. and Swedish military systems.[25][26] He also advocated for the longstanding U.S. goal of increased European defense spending; Sweden approved a 40% increase in defense spending over five years during Howery's tenure - the largest increase in more than 70 years.[27] President Trump later praised Howery's leadership on increasing defense, security, and economic cooperation between the United States and Sweden, saying "he served our [n]ation brilliantly," as an ambassador.[28]

Howery strongly advocated for clean 5G technology,[29] promoting the official U.S Department of State position that encourages the use of equipment made by Swedish manufacturer Ericsson and asserts that Huawei-made products are a security risk to democracies. Howery met with senior Swedish officials on 5G security in September, 2020,[30] and Sweden subsequently announced a ban on equipment from telecommunication companies Huawei and ZTE in its 5G network.[31] Howery also promoted increased cooperation, including on security issues, between the U.S. and Sweden in the Arctic.[32] In October 2020, Sweden published its first new Arctic Strategy in a decade, highlighting concerns about deteriorating global relations and the growth of military activity in the Arctic.[33][34] His Arctic advocacy included helping establish a partnership between the Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Sweden's Luleå University of Technology.[35] 

As Sweden serves as the protecting power for the United States in North Korea,[36] Howery worked to maintain a strong communication channel for the push for denuclearization, and worked with Swedish officials to counter disinformation, and promote democracy, human rights, free trade, and regional security.[26]

Howery advocated for the importance of transparency and information-sharing between countries to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic.[37] He led efforts by U.S. Embassy Stockholm to assist Swedish manufacturer Getinge with supply chain issues, helping it to expand production of ventilators for the benefit of COVID-19 patients in the United States and around the world.[38]  

Howery engaged with the Swedish academic community, including on the role universities can play in entrepreneurship and the importance of academic integrity.[39][40] He conducted outreach to the U.S. and Swedish business communities in Sweden,[41][42][43][44][45] including delivering speeches at the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce.[46][47] He also engaged with top Swedish scientific research institutes, science parks, and Sweden's Innovation Agency.[48][49][50][51][52]

In response to growing calls for Sweden's NATO accession following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Howery authored an op-ed saying the Ukraine invasion had dramatically shifted public opinion in Sweden about NATO, and that the country would "make an outstanding addition" to the alliance and its joining "will be cause for celebration."[53]

Kingdom of Denmark

President-elect Donald Trump announced Howery as his choice to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Denmark on December 22, 2024.[5]

Personal life

Howery is single.[54]

He has a house at Powder Mountain, a ski resort at Utah.[55] In 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Howery and Musk were staying at Howery's 8,000-square-foot home near the Colorado River in Austin. Musk, however, denied the claim in an email statement to Business Insider at the time.[56]

According to the WSJ report in December 2021, after his term as U.S. ambassador to Sweden ended, he had "been traveling the world, including chasing tornadoes and other extreme weather events as a hobby, people who know him say."[57]

See also

References

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  1. ^ https://x.com/USAmbDenmark/status/1986448200660602935?t=r3lQ7MUiOg6h4FnUend9rw&s=19
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kelly, Makena (2018-10-16). "Peter Thiel associate named as ambassador to Sweden". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
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  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."USA:s ambassadör i Sverige har lämnat in avskedsansökan". SVT. January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schleifer, Theodore (2025-01-16). "Trump Picks a Jet-Setting Pal of Elon Musk to Go Get Greenland". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PN54-3 - Nomination of Kenneth Howery for Department of State, 119th Congress (2025-2026)". www.congress.gov. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The U.S. Ambassador visits Chalmers". January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PN127 116th Congress". September 17, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Life After the Stanford Review". The Stanford Review. February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."No Rivals: The Prophet (Part I) - by Mario Gabriele". www.generalist.com. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."List of 2012 Young Global Leaders Honourees" (PDF). World Economic Forum. July 20, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
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  13. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Board and Advisors | Kiva". blog.kiva.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Staff (August 2, 2010). "Hot prospects: Top 10 VCs under 36". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Behind the Scenes with PayPal Co-Founder Ken Howery". IVY MAGAZINE. October 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."PayPal net worth has surpassed parent company eBay - Compelo". NS Business. 2018-02-01. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sweden one step closer to getting a US ambassador – after more than two years". www.thelocal.se. May 29, 2019.
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  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Statement of Kenneth A. Howery" (PDF). Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The King receives foreign ambassadors - Sveriges Kungahus". www.kungahuset.se. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.""USA:s och Sveriges militära samarbete har aldrig varit tätare än under Trump"". Dagens Nyheter (in svenska). 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brussels, Michael M. Phillips in Gotland, Sweden, and James Marson in (2021-01-05). "Russian Aggression Spurs Neighbors to Rebuild Defenses". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-02-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."A Farewell Message from Ambassador Howery". U.S. Embassy in Sweden. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
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  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."DEBATT: "Ryssland och Kina skapar risker i Arktis"". Svenska Dagbladet (in svenska). 2020-02-19. ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
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  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."DEBATT. USA:s ambassadör: Vi måste förenas i kampen mot corona". www.expressen.se (in svenska). 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
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  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."US Ambassador Kenneth Howery highlights the university's importance for entrepreneurship - Luleå University of Technology". www.ltu.se. 2020-02-14. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
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  55. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lewis, Paul (16 March 2018). "Welcome to Powder Mountain – a utopian club for the millennial elite". The Guardian.
  56. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Newsham, Grace Kay, Jack (8 May 2024). "Elon Musk is a homeowner again, despite his claims of couch surfing". Business Insider.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  57. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Copeland, Rob (22 December 2021). "Elon Musk Says He Lives in a $50,000 House. He Doesn't Talk About the Austin Mansion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 October 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

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