What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was on my fifth publishing start up. ZDNet Anchor Desk had nearly 3 million daily email subscribers and was the #1 site of its kind. Our tech director had invented a 'TalkBack' mechanism that allowed people to post comments--it was really the first blog!
After Anchor Desk, I started another dot com publishing company that published 15 digital newsletters. It was acquired about 8 years ago.
With this track record of success in IT publishing, why did you change your focus to energy and environment?
After the dot com crash, I got bored in the post crash doldrums of 2002. A string of successes gave me time to pause and reflect. I just realized that I was tired of the IT and PC market and wanted to work on what I was really interested in--the environment. With demand growing and supply shrinking, it was bound to be a big opportunity and a huge industry.
However, it wasn't that obvious to everyone in 2002. It was the time of Enron, the utility financial crisis, there was a recession, oil prices were low. Few people believed me when I said energy and environment would be the Next Big Thing.
Was it hard to make the transition?
It was a painful shift and a steep learning curve. I was fortunate enough to get a series of research projects--it was like writing 10 graduate theses.
What motivated you through the transition?
A combination of greed and altruism. I wanted to be part of the next growth market, the explosive phase of a new industry. The environment is closer to my personal values than the PC industry. I've been a Nature Conservancy donor for 30 years. I wanted to do more than write a check twice a year; I wanted to make a contribution in my daily work. I thought I could make the world a little better every year while making a living.
Things have certainly changed since 2002; energy and environment seem to be a front page story every day now.
Investment is flowing into this new sector of 'green tech' at a frenzied pace. One Yale professor claims $100 billion will be invested in energy technology in 2007. I think there's an opportunity to have some influence on where the money is spent and how public policy is shaped.
What interested you in the X PRIZE model?
As an advisor to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, I had become frustrated by the pace of adoption. I was looking for better ways to accelerate progress. Prizes offer an unusual degree of leverage. Competitors often spend 10-40 times the amount of the prize purse. It's a highly efficient way of inviting the world to help solve a specific problem. It's also a highly leveraged approach--you only pay the winner when they accomplish the goal.
I was also attracted to the board and staff of X PRIZE--it's really an amazing group of people passionate about making a difference.
What do you hope to accomplish at X PRIZE?
I'd like to see new technology invented and, even more importantly, deployed in time to make a difference. I'd like to change how people think about energy and what's possible. I'm convinced that we can satisfy our energy needs while safeguarding the environment. We can elevate global standards of living while dramatically lowering our energy footprint.
What's your vision for energy prizes?
A world where energy is no longer a source of conflict and pollution. That is, a world where energy is cheap and abundant derived from clean and renewable sources, used efficiently and equitably, and available to all regardless of socio-economic status or country.
Is there a similar vision for the environment?
A world where the environment is getting better every year. In other words, a world where carbon levels are dropping, forests are enlarging, habitat and biodiversity are increasing, industry and commerce are accomplished in a fully sustainable fashion, and healthy air, water and living conditions are available to all.
What kinds of prizes will you launch?
You'll see a wide range of energy and environment prizes over the next four years--alternative energy production, storage, transmission, household efficiency, and commercial efficiency. We'll target areas that are stuck and in need of breakthrough. I think we can help shift the whole world to a new era of possibility and prosperity.
Last word?
'Green-collar' jobs are the next growth industry...