Perkins is the founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, a top-tier venture capital company in Silicon Valley. He became famous when the HP spying scandal broke out, which led to his resignation from HP board of directors, and the fall of the Chairwoman Patricia Dunn. In an article in New Yorker magazine, Perkins is portrayed as determined, strong-willed, and well connected. He turned the leaking case around, forcing Patricia to eventually resign and face criminal charge. Tonight, Perkins gave a promotional talk on his new book: Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins. I was curious to find out about his life.
What a life he has lived. Perkins talked about the years he worked under David Packard and Bill Hewlett at HP, how he started HP lab, grew the computer division of HP, and invented a new laser device and made it into a business. After leaving HP, He founded Kleiner Perkins, one of the first high-tech venture firms in the world. By today, they have funded more than 250 companies, and created 259,000 jobs. What an achievement! In the end of his talk, he showed 3-minute video of a new yacht: A modern yacht with unique sails, how it was designed, prototyped, manufactured and became a real beautiful piece of reality. When I looked at that beautiful boat with 3 pieces of sails, I marveled a man’s ability to create and to build. A man who has done so much is still constantly searching for ways to create.
Leaving the lecture hall, I bought his book. I wanted to find out more about his fascinating life, the fascinating people he has interacted with and a wonderful creative spirit.
