Jeong Kim Interview (page: 5 / 6) President of Bell Labs	Print Interview

What else does it make possible? I read about transmitting data from a battlefield. How does that work?

Jeong Kim: ATM technology was originally designed for high speed fiber optic networks. In the battlefield, you don't have fiber optic cables to your tank or your F16 airplane or any of that. They have UHF radios and so forth. ATM itself was not designed to be transferred over wireless links, so we had to develop specific technologies to do that.

Information gets stuck where the fiber optic network ends. You have a last-mile problem of getting the information to the people who really need it. That's what we solved, to make ATM work through a noisier, slower link. There are other obstacles that ATM is not supposed to work with, but we are able to make those things work.

Can you define for a lay person how it works?

Jeong Kim: I wish I had more talent for articulating this kind of thing. We tried to make it so that you don't necessarily have to understand how it works. The technological difficulties are many, and the solutions to overcome each of these difficulties are also many. It's like an onion. You have to peel one layer at a time to get to the core. We developed a whole suite of technologies that work in conjunction, to overcome different difficulties. Noise problems, for instance. Fiber optics are very clear, but in your cellular phone wireless network there's a lot of noise. Phone lines are very slow, compared to high-speed networks, so there are congestion problems. All those problems require specific solutions, and each itself is a major class of problems. We had to overcome that. That's why we were able to distinguish ourselves among other companies.

Just think about this. Lucent Technologies had a lapse. This is Bell Labs, the company that invented transistors, the premier lab in the communications field. They have 130,000 people, and they get three patents per day. In our entire company we only have 250 people, and we only have three patents for the whole thing. Lucent Technologies, with 130,000 people, had to admit that they couldn't do what we did with only 250 people. They're going to pay $1.1 billion in cash for that.

Who's buying the product itself? What are they using it for?

Jeong Kim: Right now, there's a voice network which uses telephony, and there is a data network which connects computers. ATM will allow you to migrate into one network, which will save you so much money. It is in its infancy, but once large companies deploy it in a massive fashion, the dollar figures will be astronomical. You have to be very careful about predicting the future. I don't want to say a number and get sued by some potential shareholders. But, Lucent feels very comfortable with our company. They are not buying the future, they are buying the present, the current value.

Were you looking to be bought out?

Jeong Kim: No.

You cannot build a business thinking about somebody's going to buy it. You have to think in terms of creating value. Again, like I said, you've got to take one step at a time, especially if you are a small company. You know, you can think too far long-term and you can starve to death. So, you have to think about one step at a time and creating the value. And, if the value gets created that is worthwhile for somebody else, they will make an offer and therefore your options are open.
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We weren't looking for it. They approached us first.

Is it true that you're going to personally see $510 million from this sale?

Jeong Kim: I don't know the exact numbers, but it is something substantial, yes.

Could you have even dreamed of such a figure when you were working at 7-11?

Jeong Kim: No. It's astronomical. That was kind of difficult to imagine, but I had my dreams.

I wanted to be a major player, even when I was thinking about computers and Steve Jobs and what he was doing, and Bill Gates wasn't really moving at that time. Steve Jobs was really making headway. I thought, "If he could do it, why can't I do it?" So, in some ways, I feel that if you can put together a good group of people -- it's not just one person -- and work together, you can create a world class organization, and I thought I could do that.
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You said that people who are successful are often those who feel they have something to prove.

Jeong Kim: That's certainly true for me.

I always had this complex that I felt that I was not as good as the guy next to me, and therefore I work extra hard. And, I've met several people who are highly successful and when I talk to them, they say a similar thing. So, I don't think it's just me. People who are the smartest or the most talented, sometimes they don't realize their full potential because things get too easy. It's too easy for them and things just come so easily for them, so they don't really push themselves as hard.
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Most of our honorees talk about very supportive families. They were encouraged. You didn't have those things to rely on. In your case, it sounds like this drive really came from within.

Jeong Kim: I didn't have much choice. But let me tell you, there are many people like me who are not asking for a whole lot, just the opportunity to prove ourselves. I like to be in the position to give them the chance. That's what people did for me. They gave me a chance to prove myself. People helped me, but I never asked anybody to hold my hand and do things for me. The only thing I asked was to let me try to prove myself. I think a lot of kids just want that. They don't need anything else.

What now? You're at a point financially where you could retire comfortably. Why don't you do that?

Jeong Kim: No.

I could have retired a long time ago, financially. What's really important to me is that I add value to society. And, I think I still have a lot of creative energy in me. I mean, I'm a really practical person. I don't think I can be as creative when I am 50 or 60 years old, and my effort and my energy can be better spent on maybe doing -- I don't know -- social work or going and teaching at the universities. I don't know what that will be, but right now I can best contribute by working on the technologies.
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I see so many opportunities. In selling our company to Lucent Technologies, one of the biggest objections was the job they offered me. They offered me a job as President of Carrier Networks. Typically, when a big company acquires a small one, the top guy at the small company gets to run that part of the organization or leave. Lucent gave me two other major divisions. I'm responsible for the entire product line for the carrier networks, so I can be much more effective, I can add a lot more value. I can't tell you for how long, but until my creative juice runs out. That's where I think I can make the most contribution. A good friend of mine said I don't need to prove anything now, so I can just lead my life and set an example. I like to set examples for other people, whatever that means.

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