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Scott McNealy

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Scott McNealy
McNealy in 2005
Born (1954-11-13) November 13, 1954 (age 70)
Columbus, Indiana
Education
Known forCEO and co-founder,
Sun Microsystems[1]
SpouseSusan McNealy (m. 1994)
ChildrenMaverick, Colt, Dakota, Scout
WebsiteSun Microsystems Scott McNealy bio

Scott McNealy (born November 13, 1954) is an American businessman. He is most famous for co-founding the computer technology company Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Andy Bechtolsheim. In 2004, while still at Sun, McNealy founded Curriki,[1] a free online education service. In 2011, he co-founded Wayin, a social intelligence and visualization company based in Denver.[2] McNealy stepped down from his position as CEO of Wayin in 2016.[3]

Career

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McNealy earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. McNealy has self-deprecatingly referred to himself as a "golf major" rather than a computer scientist.[4][5]

McNealy started out working at American Motors, where his father was vice chairman and vice president of marketing.[6] He later became manufacturing director at Onyx Systems, a vendor of microprocessor-based Unix systems.[7][8][5]

In 1982, he was approached by fellow Stanford alumnus Vinod Khosla to help provide the necessary organizational and business leadership for Sun Microsystems. Sun, along with companies such as Apple Inc., Silicon Graphics, 3Com, and Oracle Corporation, was part of a wave of successful startup companies in California's Silicon Valley during the early and mid-1980s. The name "Sun" was derived from co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim's original Stanford University Network (SUN) computer project, the SUN workstation.[8]

In 1984, McNealy took over the CEO role from Khosla, who ultimately would leave the company in 1985. On April 24, 2006, McNealy stepped down as CEO after serving in that position for 22 years, and turned the job over to Jonathan I. Schwartz. McNealy is one of the few CEOs of a major corporation to have had a tenure of over twenty years.

According to the book The Decline and Fall of Nokia, Scott McNealy was the "dream candidate" to become CEO of Nokia in 2010.[9] However, McNealy said he was not offered the job.[10]

In 2017, Scott joined the golf app startup 18Birdies as advisor and equity partner.[11]

In early 2018, he joined the Redis Labs advisory board.[12]

Wayin

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In 2010, the same year Oracle Corporation purchased Sun, McNealy co-founded the social media intelligence company Wayin.[13] The new venture was not widely covered in the media; the day he invited reporters to his home to launch Wayin was the same day Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died.[3] Their product is an application store for brands to self-publish interactive advertising campaigns using reusable digital assets, removing the bulk of cost involved in delivering multi-channel digital advertising.[14]

Wayin sought out and merged with EngageSciences in 2016, to acquire senior staff and diversify their market. In May of that year, McNealy stepped down as CEO and EngageSciences head Richard Jones became CEO of the combined company.[3] In July 2019, Wayin was acquired by Cheetah Digital.[15]

Personal life

[edit]

McNealy was born to Marmalee[16][17][18][19] Doris (née Noffke)[20][21][22] and Raymond William McNealy Jr. (1927–2014), in Columbus, Indiana. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where his father, was vice chairman of the American Motors Corporation. He graduated from Cranbrook School; he later supported the campaign of fellow Cranbrook alumnus and 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Most of his work experience prior to joining Sun was in automotive manufacturing.[7][8]

He is married to Susan Ingemanson.[23] They lived in Portola Valley, CA,[19] now in Nevada, and have four sons: Maverick, Dakota, Colt, and Scout. He is known to be an enthusiastic ice hockey player and has been ranked as one of the best golfers in executive ranks.[4][24]

He is the commissioner of the Alternative Golf Association (known as "Flogton").[25]

Positions at Sun

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  • Chairman of the board of directors from April 2006 to January 2010[26]
  • Chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer from April 2004 to April 2006[26]
  • Chairman of the board of directors, president and chief executive officer from July 2002 to April 2004[26]
  • Chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer from April 1999 to June 2002[26]
  • Chairman of the board of directors, president and chief executive officer from December 1984 to April 1999[26]
  • President and chief operating officer from February 1984 to December 1984[26]
  • Vice president of operations from February 1982 to February 1984[26]

Awards

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In 1987, McNealy was named an Award Recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Northern California Region.[27]

Opinions

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While at Sun, McNealy used the phrase “disagree and commit” (which later became a management principle adopted by other large cooperations) as early as some time between 1983 and 1991, as part of the line "Agree and commit, disagree and commit, or get out of the way".[28]: 39 [29][30]

In 1999, McNealy said, "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it."[31] Writer Stephen Manes criticized the statement in his Full Disclosure column: "He's right on the facts, wrong on the attitude.... Instead of 'getting over it', citizens need to demand clear rules on privacy, security, and confidentiality."[32] The authors of Privacy in the 21st Century admitted, "While a shocking statement, there is an element of truth in it."[33]

McNealy was an early advocate of the networked environment; his company's motto was The Network is the Computer. At times, he has been known to be skeptical of products that do not integrate well with networked environments. One example McNealy has given involved the Apple iPod. As quoted in The Register, McNealy said, "There’s a pendulum thing where stuff is on the client side and then goes back into the network where it belongs. The answering machine put voicemail by the desk, and then it went back into the network. Your iPod is like your home answering machine. I guarantee you it will be hard to sell an iPod five or seven years from now when every cell phone can access your entire music library wherever you are."[34]

McNealy is a self-proclaimed "raging libertarian", although he often supports and endorses the Republican Party.[35] He makes regular appearances on the Fox Business Channel to discuss libertarian business issues.[36] In 2017, McNealy praised the 45th U.S. President, Donald Trump, for his free-market economic policies.[37] On September 17, 2019, McNealy hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump's re-election campaign.[38][39]

References

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  1. ^ a b Scott McNeally interviewed on the TV show Triangulation on the TWiT.tv network
  2. ^ Clark, Don (May 22, 2015). "Scott McNealy Is Back - as a Startup CEO". The Wall Street Journal. p. B1. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Ina Fried (May 4, 2016). "Scott McNealy is stepping down from the CEO job you didn't know he had". Recode. Retrieved December 4, 2017. McNealy officially launched Wayin back in October 2011, inviting reporters to his house to talk about the service on the evening of Oct. 5 — which turned out to be the same day that Apple CEO Steve Jobs died.
  4. ^ a b John Steinbreder; Narayanan, S.; Murad, M.A. (June 1998). "Handicapping America's CEOs". Golf Digest. 7 (3): 215. doi:10.1159/000026045. Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, once quipped: 'Am I a computer scientist? No, I'm a golf major.' A former captain of the Harvard golf team, he now plays to a 3.2 Handicap Index – lowest of any top executive.
  5. ^ a b High, Peter. "Former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy's New Focus On Social Media Innovation". Forbes. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Like father, like Sun". cnet.com. March 6, 2006. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Scott McNealy and Sun Microsystems", Center for Management Research, Case Code LDEN039, 2006 [1]
  8. ^ a b c Brent Schlender (October 13, 1997). "Javaman: The Adventures of Scott McNealy Today's Episode His Fight to Save The World Wide Web From The Evil Empire". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2008. They called their box the SUN – for Stanford University Network – workstation. The investor was intrigued; within a month, Sun Microsystems was born.
  9. ^ Cord, David (2014). The Decline and Fall of Nokia. Schildts & Söderströms. pp. 190–192. ISBN 978-951-52-3320-2.
  10. ^ McNealy, Scott. "Not likely..." Twitter. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  11. ^ Erik Matuszewski (September 12, 2017). "18Birdies Welcomes Sun Microsystems Co-Founder McNealy As Advisor, Equity Partner For Golf App". Forbes.
  12. ^ Redis Labs (January 9, 2018). "Technology Pioneer Scott McNealy Joins Redis Labs Advisory Board". PRNewswire.
  13. ^ Peter High (May 16, 2016). "Former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy's New Focus On Social Media Innovation". Forbes. Retrieved December 4, 2017. In 2010, he co-founded Wayin, a social intelligence company that integrates social content into new experiences for consumers and delivers greater value and control for brands.
  14. ^ Bruce Rogers (April 4, 2017). "Scott McNealy Builds Wayin To Make $1 Trillion Global Marketing Spend More Efficient". Forbes. Retrieved December 4, 2017. The company positions itself as a self-service platform that enables some of the world's biggest brands and publishers to create authentic, interactive campaign experiences that engage and activate consumers across all digital channels. Its digital asset creation tools offer drag and drop templates to easily create just about any marketing materials.
  15. ^ "Cheetah Digital Announces Acquisition of Wayin" (Press release). Business Wire. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Scott Mcnealy | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "Glen Alferd Noffke - View Obituary & Service Information". Glen Alferd Noffke Obituary. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Raymond McNealy Obituary - Jupiter, FL". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Raymond McNEALY Obituary (1927 - 2014) - Tequesta, FL - The Palm Beach Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "Scott Mcnealy | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  21. ^ "William Noffke". www.myheritage.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  22. ^ "Marmalee Noffke". www.myheritage.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  23. ^ "Scott Mcnealy | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "On the Record: Scott McNealy". San Francisco Chronicle. September 14, 2003. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Glier, Ray (May 8, 2011). "Turning Golf Tradition on Its Head". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g "DEF 14A (Proxy Statement)". SEC EDGAR Archives. Sun Microsystems, Inc. October 28, 2009. p. 49.
  27. ^ "InstallShield® Software Corporation Co-Founder And CEO Named National Finalist In Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® Program". March 11, 2019.
  28. ^ Southwick, Karen (1999). High Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 39. ISBN 9780471297130. disagree and commit scott mcnealy.
  29. ^ Origbo, Efesa (May 29, 2017). "Make "Disagree and Commit" Work for You". Seeking Mastery. WordPress.com. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  30. ^ Ballard, Greg (November 15, 2006). "Agree and Commit, Disagree and Commit". Stanford eCorner. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019. This is a phrase, agree and commit, disagree and commit, that actually comes from Scott McNealy. At least that's where I was told it was from.
  31. ^ Sprenger, Polly. "Sun on Privacy: 'Get Over It'". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  32. ^ Manes, Stephen (April 18, 2000). "Private Lives? Not Ours!". PC World. 18 (6): 312. ISSN 0737-8939. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  33. ^ Adams, Helen R.; Bocher, Robert F.; Gordon, Carol A.; Barry-Kessler, Elizabeth (2005). "The Future of Privacy in Libraries". Privacy in the 21st Century. Libraries Unlimited. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-59158-209-0.
  34. ^ Vance, Ashlee (January 12, 2006). "Sun and Apple almost merged three times – Bill Joy". The Register.
  35. ^ "On the Record: Scott McNealy". The San Francisco Chronicle. September 14, 2003. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  36. ^ "Sun Microsystems' McNealy on Economy". Fox Business. October 17, 2012.
  37. ^ "Why 'Raging Capitalist' Scott McNealy is Excited About Trump". Fox Business. January 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  38. ^ Setty, Ganesh (September 17, 2019). "Trump held fundraiser at former Sun CEO Scott McNealy's Silicon Valley house on Tuesday". CNBC. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  39. ^ Garofoli, By Joe (September 19, 2019). "Scott McNealy has long been one of Trump's few friends in Silicon Valley". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scott McNealy.
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Business positions
Preceded by CEO of Sun Microsystems
1984–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Sun Microsystems
1984–1999
2002–2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of Sun Microsystems
1984–2010 		Company acquired by Oracle Corporation
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