Q. What are you good at?

A. The common themes are technology, innovation and value creation.  I’m good at grasping the core of complex human processes and technology systems.  I also tend to stay close to technology because that’s where my creativity and my credibility are most valuable.  Because I understand both the engineering (science) and the human processes I think that I can deal with the intangible parts of projects.  I am very much a believer that strong engineers sometimes need to be given the space and the support to focus on creating value within their organizations.

Q. Why did you move from a career that was primarily involved with corporate jobs to one in the consulting business?

A. Frankly, early in my career the idea of “consulting” did not cross my mind.  In one sense, I truly stumbled into the field.  My interest in art actually was a catalyst. When I first got involved with computers and the Internet, you could literally draw a map of all the machines (computers) on the Net. I thought that I could be valuable within a company. In a relatively short period, I went from helping develop key parts of UNIX to building systems to teaching at Bell Labs. 

Even when I’m consulting I see myself as part of the core management team, and my clients do as well by involving me in their strategic efforts. When I finished a stint at Sonic Solutions we were literally applauded by the engineering organization – that’s pretty satisfying. 

Q. How does your art background come into play?

A. My art background allows me to look at technology in a way that is both different and effective. You’ve got to know how to work the material of course: painting alone has a myriad of techniques let alone sculpture or performance. You’ve also got all sorts of subtle motivations and psychological drama, along with the question of who your audience is and how they’re going to react.

For a technology “artwork” to be successful, if you will, the elements range from monetization to market segments to usability and include all sorts of techniques in requirements, design, engineering and operations.  You’ve got the team psychology and the drama of all the players. And the effect you’re generally is ideally a deep satisfaction of all the players, who can then communicate  to get the message out to your audience.

Interestingly, my attention to art was particularly useful early in my career. There was a time when technology companies were funding a wide range of projects as a way of highlighting, in a very public way, what computers could accomplish. At that time, I was working on a system called “Aaron,” which acted as an artist,  drawing and painting on paper and even on large (10’x20’) canvases. That (www.kurzweilcyberart.com) provided the opportunity to blend both bleeding-edge engineering and art needed for the “composition” to succeed 

Q. But isn’t engineering at the core of this process?

A. Yes.  I think you really have to have a deep understanding of technology, and not just the technology fad of the day, by the way. Aaron led me to becoming one of the lead architects the innovative Auragen Fault Tolerant Unix System, even as I pursued an avant-garde “career.”  When I was finished with Auragen, later purchased by Nixdorf/Siemens, I did nothing but technical consulting and I haven’t looked back. Technologists want to make “stuff”, which I find remarkably similar to what artists want to do. And I’ve made a lot of “stuff” for a lot of different industries.

Q. What is included in that “body of work?

A. I worked on the early development of UNIX (and later taught it). I also created an early mass-market Windows application (WinTools), which was the first application that took over the semi-functional Windows desktop and replaced it with Icons on the desktop, virtual desktops, and other state of interface features.  At the time, it was said “if you’re a Windows fanatic, you’ll love it; if you’re new to Windows, you’ll need it.”  That is about the highest praise that I could have imagined. Eventually, Bill Gates and Microsoft pushed us all out the door, but not until after we had scoped out the Window’s desktop for years to come.  Then, I created the first multi-media applications for creating tightly scripted slide presentations with graphics and sound for Prodigy. It was remarkably “similar” to what became known as the Windows Office app, PowerPoint.

Additionally, I prototyped and commercialized the first web-based radiology review station for the remote viewing of ultrasound images. I developed innovative user interfaces involving voice, sound, and touch. I co-developed a patent for techniques to improve ultrasound image quality. And I was the co-architect of the system that generated all the residential telephone bills for Verizon (in its largest service area, the Northeast).

Q. Michelle Kassner, CEO of Libgo (the second largest leisure travel company in the U.S.) says that she considers you an outstanding strategist.  You’ve described innovations and software creativity, what do you consider your high points in the area of strategy?

A. Technology strategy is a subtle thing when you think that predicting more than two-years out is difficult. You have to balance what is needed to get to market and to provide near-term value with building and exploring the longer term vision. One of my most successful projects was the work that I did with a well-funded spinout from Hewitt Associates. 

There, I helped the management team develop business goals while being very candid about the complexity of the effort that was being imagined. Intended to serve huge waves of workers needing to enroll in healthcare plans,:  I convinced Hewitt that the project would take longer and cost more than had been thought.  We then established more realistic goals, architected the system, and directed the technology effort to get it done. Believe me, that is not easy in a high-pressure, spin-off environment with enormous amounts of money at stake. 

In another assignment, working with Sonic Solutions, I recognized the opportunity for Sonic to improve its engineering efficacy and I convinced management to focus on it.  I developed and helped implement a strategy to improve the engineering organization’s processes which led directly to shipping product to Sony and Hitachi while improving product quality, creating measurable efficiencies, and a rapid ROI.

I’ve also worked with several stealth, startup, and early stage companies where tactics are often mistaken for strategy. I’ve been very effective at getting these companies to understand the difference and then get them on viable paths to market while establishing longer-term goals which benefit both the company and potential investors. There have been times when this even included writing I’ve even written code to get to key milestones. The point is to get the client to where it needs to be to besuccessful., if need be.

Q. What was is that you did for Michelle Kassner at Libgo (“I’d hire him for another project in a heartbeat.  He’s very smart and very strategic.”) that has made her one of your “champions?”

A. When Libgo, which operates Liberty Travel, GoGo Worldwide Vacations and all of American Airline Vacations, approached me I saw that problems had been created by a long series of missteps by previous consultants and management.  At the same time, the opportunity was enormous.  Management literally had to get the vision out the door. The solution was complex, but, in the end, provided the core for continued industry leadership.  It sounds dramatic, but we put Libgo back in charge of its own destiny.

We agreed that I’d become the CIO (and the CTO for that matter), taking on the responsibility for a $40 million annual budget and 200 staff members, and focusing on delivering a project with a high eight figure investment. In short order, we revamped the technology strategy, improved the implementation approach, renegotiated contracts, purchased code, and adjusted the organization.

The strategy had revolved around outsourcing many of the technology group functions. That had created a situation where management had been hard pressed to  implement the “grand vision” that had been presented. (From Michelle Kassner:  “Jeffrey told us the way it was, which was not necessarily the way management wanted to hear it.  But he urged us to take charge of our own destiny, to bring things in-house and then he helped us recruit the right managers for the projects.”)