The Founder of Qualcomm Was a Hotel Manager??

Summary

The story of Erwin Mark Jacobs is one of resilience and brilliance. Born in 1933 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he defied early academic advice to study engineering, eventually earning a PhD at MIT. His groundbreaking work in digital communications led him to found Linkabit, which eventually became Qualcomm. Jacobs' collaboration with other brilliant minds like Claude Shannon and Hedy Lamarr, and his role in advancing satellite communications, changed the tech landscape. His journey from academia to entrepreneurship illustrates the power of innovation and the intersection of genius with timely opportunity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Irwin Mark Jacobs, born in 1933 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, grew up in a middle-class family and went on to become a pioneering figure in wireless communications.
• 😀 New Bedford, once the wealthiest town in America during the whaling era, had significantly declined by the time Irwin Jacobs was born.
• 😀 Despite being encouraged to pursue a career in hospitality management, Jacobs chose to study engineering after discovering its potential to combine his love of math and science with a profitable career.
• 😀 Irwin Jacobs initially attended Cornell's renowned hotel management school but transferred to electrical engineering after learning about the field's opportunities.
• 😀 Jacobs completed his PhD at MIT under Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, in just three years, significantly shaping his future in communications technology.
• 😀 Jacobs taught at MIT for five years, during which he co-authored the first textbook on digital communications, which is still in use today.
• 😀 Jacobs spent a sabbatical at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he formed a lasting partnership with Andrew Viterbi, who later co-founded Qualcomm with him.
• 😀 Jacobs moved to San Diego to help establish the electrical engineering department at UC San Diego, all while continuing to work on satellite communications projects with NASA.
• 😀 Jacobs, along with Viterbi and another colleague, founded Linkabit, initially as a small consulting firm for government and defense contractors, including NASA and the U.S. Navy.
• 😀 Linkabit’s first major contract was working on satellite communications for Walmart, helping the retailer build a private satellite network for its stores.
• 😀 Jacobs’ expertise in satellite communications, particularly in efficient use of narrow bandwidth, laid the foundation for his later success in founding Qualcomm, which revolutionized wireless technology.

Q & A

Who is Erwin Mark Jacobs and what is his background?

Erwin Mark Jacobs is an American engineer and entrepreneur born in 1933 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He grew up in a middle-class family and was highly gifted in math and sciences. Despite early guidance to pursue hospitality management, he eventually chose a path in electrical engineering, later founding Qualcomm and becoming a pioneer in the wireless communications industry.

What role did Erwin Jacobs' guidance counselor play in his career path?

Erwin Jacobs' high school guidance counselor suggested he pursue a career in hospitality management, despite his strong aptitude for math and science. Jacobs initially followed this advice and enrolled in the Cornell School of Hotel Management, before transferring to electrical engineering after realizing his true passion for the field.

How did Erwin Jacobs' time at Cornell influence his later career?

Jacobs credits his year and a half in the hotel management school at Cornell with providing him valuable skills in business accounting and real-world applications, which later helped him transition from academia to entrepreneurship. It allowed him to establish Qualcomm and step out of the academic world.

What was Erwin Jacobs' academic journey after Cornell?

After transferring to electrical engineering, Jacobs completed his Ph.D. at MIT, studying under Claude Shannon, the father of information theory. This education was crucial to Jacobs' later achievements in wireless communications. He completed his Ph.D. in just three years and became a professor at MIT, teaching digital communications.

What is Linkabit, and how did it start?

Linkabit was a company founded by Erwin Jacobs, Andy Viterbi, and Len Kleinrock in the early 1970s. Initially created to manage their consulting work for NASA and military projects, it eventually grew into a company focused on satellite communications, with Jacobs and Viterbi later founding Qualcomm. The name 'Linkabit' was an academic joke.

How did the concept of spread spectrum technology influence Linkabit?

While working on satellite communications, Jacobs and his colleagues at Linkabit utilized spread spectrum technology, originally invented by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil during World War II. This technology, which spreads signals over a wide range of frequencies, became essential in improving the efficiency of satellite communications.

What was the first commercial contract project that Linkabit worked on?

Linkabit's first commercial contract was with Walmart, where they built a satellite communication system to broadcast daily updates from Walmart headquarters to its regional stores. This marked the beginning of Linkabit's transition from consulting to commercial business operations.

Why was the satellite communication system important for Walmart?

Walmart needed a satellite communication system to transmit data from its headquarters to its stores. This was essential for syncing store operations, collecting data, and broadcasting information such as daily greetings from Sam Walton. At the time, traditional communication networks were insufficient for Walmart's needs.

How did the military and defense sector influence Linkabit's direction?

The military and defense sector played a significant role in shaping Linkabit’s focus, particularly in satellite communications. Jacobs and his colleagues worked on defense contracts related to satellite communication systems, which eventually led them to realize the potential for commercial applications of their technology.

What was the significance of Claude Shannon in Erwin Jacobs' career?

Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, was instrumental in shaping Erwin Jacobs' career. Jacobs studied under Shannon at MIT, and the theories he learned from Shannon formed the foundation for Jacobs' work in digital communications and wireless technologies, which ultimately led to the creation of Qualcomm.