On the Business of Technology

Aside from my innate love for technology, the main reason for being a programmer has been to have the ability to say - Let's send man to Pluto, and then go write the code. Exciting as this technology trip has been, the last couple of years as a CEO have been an awakening of sorts.

I have now augmented the dream-and-build axiom with a corollary - What is the business of sending man to Pluto? Cool as the rocket science may seem there is no money in this space (never mind the pun). The algorithm as an entrepreneur is about creating value for the customer, building a team of highly motivated people, and giving a return on the money to the investors (without the investment we would not have the opportunity to build). The business of technology appears to be a lot harder than technology itself.

The truth of the matter is that both technology and the business of technology go hand in hand. Operating in a vacuum is probably the worst mistake an entrepreneur can make. After having built "beautiful," in a vacuum (that has a Silicon Valley shelf-life), the second application of our technology is being built to specifications from a major broadcast customer. How cool is that! Now add to it the deep science and challenging engineering. "Cool" is a natural magnet for the brightest minds in academia and industry. High quality work motivates the best. Channeling my team's energy and effort into something with significant business value is my challenge, and I'm beginning to love it.

Finding a real world application for cool is the single most important step in the direction of success for an entrepreneur. Let's call this my secret to creating a healthy company of happy people. It has been good learning.