Joining me on the show today is the incredibly accomplished and charismatic, Ed Zander! Ed came up as a technology marketer as that discipline was just beginning evolve. Originally from the East Coast, Ed spent a large portion of his early career working in the heart of Silicon Valley, overseeing dynamic teams and technological innovation that helped define the 90s and 00s tech scene. For fifteen years, Ed had an integral role at ‘Sun Microsystems’, ultimately becoming President. Afterwards, Ed went on to become CEO of ‘Motorola’, launching the classic ‘Motorola Razr’, which lead the way in bringing fashionable and sleek design to handheld devices before the iPhone existed (Ed shares a number of interesting anecdotes about his discussions with Steve Jobs at the time).

In this episode, we discuss Ed’s journey to becoming the prolific investor and businessman that he is today, what his philosophies are on creating a strong company culture, why competitor analysis is such a key aspect to his marketing practices, and the importance of a lifelong dedication to learning. This will be one you won’t want to miss and will definitely want to take notes on! I came away with so many ideas about approaches to apply to the companies in my portfolio!

If you’re interested to learn more, then tune in to Episode 11 of What Didn’t Kill You! 

Some Questions I Ask:

• How did you find your way to working at ‘Sun Microsystems?’ (1:14 )
• Was moving to California a slight culture shock for you as someone who lived on the East Coast? (6:21 )
• Did you feel a sense that you were at the beginning of something in your early days working in Silicon Valley? (8:40 )
• Is there anything you can attribute your position at ‘Sun Microsystems’ to? (24:03 )
• How did you manage the fear that accompanied your new responsibilities at each of the companies you worked at? (33:05 )
• What was the transition to ‘Motorola’ like for you & How did the company culture differ from your previous role? (41:59 )
• Touching on the public feud you had with Carl Icahn, how do you navigate those situations, particularly when the other party is so vocal in the public? (1:10:02 )
• What role does having a strong life partner play in being able to face the adversity you’ve gone through in business? (1:23:01 )
• What advice can you leave my listeners with today? (1:32:39 )

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• Some background on Ed’s professional relationship with Scott G. McNealy (12:41 )
• Marketing, Sales and Engineering insights from Rob’s tenure at ‘Sun Microsystems’ (14:10 )
• How Ed took on existential considerations in business while operating on higher committees (20:21 )
• Ed’s philosophies on leadership in business (38:14 )
• Ed’s contribution to the launch and marketing of the ‘Motorola Razr’ (53:26 )
• The hurdles Ed overcame while working to include iTunes on the ‘Motorola Razr’ (1:03:20 )

Let’s Connect!

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