At 10 years old, David Leggett built his first computer and began building websites. By 12, he started selling digital advertisements and received his first $1,000 check from Google.
He continued to build some of the leading digital tutorial publications, including founding UXBooth.com, which to this date remains the largest user experience publication in the world.
Leggett became one of the founding team members of Python Safety Inc. in 2011, which was acquired by Capital Safety and subsequently 3M in 2015. Following the acquisition, he planned to start an application development agency with one of his partners.
The pair purchased the brand Black Airplane from a designer they hired onto their team. After relaunching the software development firm in 2017, the business closed 400% of the previous year’s revenue. They grew by 300% again the following year, and by multiples again in 2019. The company saw growth in 2020 despite a global pandemic and returned to record growth in 2021.
Under Leggett’s leadership, Black Airplane now boasts nearly 30 full-time employees, works with some of the largest companies in the world, and serves as a global leader and recognized partner to companies like Google, Stripe and Shopify.
“In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving business landscape, it is crucial for leaders to possess the ability to adapt to change and empower their team members,” Leggett said. “Adaptability enables leaders to adapt their strategies and approaches as needed to tackle unforeseen challenges and maintain agility within their team. Empowerment involves providing team members with the autonomy and responsibility to take ownership of their work and make decisions, which fosters a sense of purpose and engagement within the team. It also allows the team to be more agile and responsive to change.”
Leggett, who is also a certified ballroom dance instructor, gives back to his community as a member of the boards of directors for both the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority and Cherokee by Choice, a 501(c)(4) dedicated to driving additional commercial investment and economic development in Georgia’s seventh-largest county.
Leggett works with the North Atlanta Venture Mentoring Service, a mentoring program for new entrepreneurs in northern Georgia.
“David has dedicated his personal and professional efforts to building teams and teaching new entrepreneurs how to do the same,” Leggett’s team said. “He is a proven leader in Georgia’s technology industry and an outstanding servant leader in his community.”
