Famous Iranians > Business > INTERVIEW WITH DR. HOSSEIN ESLAMBOLCHI BY SAEED MANII
Chairman of 2020 Venture Partners
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Recently I had a chance to interview Dr. Hossein Eslambolchi, the formidable Iranian-American engineer, inventor and authority in the telecoms industry. As CIO/CTO of AT&T and an active business leader, Dr. Eslambolchi sets a wonderful example of accomplishment for the next generation. Shabnam Rezaei: Dr. Eslambolchi, Tell us a little about yourself. Hossein Eslambolchi: I always thought to work hard to gain respect and trust and to be an innovative as one can be so that I can impact many lives. Of course, my parents wanted me to go to Medical path and I had passion for it too even when I came to the US. Ultimately I selected another area of interest which ultimately caused me to focus more on business leadership and engineering. I first entered University of Oklahoma on a soccer scholarship before I broke my leg and it was then too boring soI transferred to the University of California, San Diego and received my BS, MS and Ph D in Electrical Engineering focused on communications and my post doc in Applied Physics.
SR: What were the early days in AT&T like before all the competition in the telecoms?
HE: I call it heaven land. Whatever anyone wanted for research and testing in any field including chemistry, hardware, software, it was practically wide open with no business case or any Return on Investment Model needed. When divestitures occurred in 1984 and competition started in long distance, the model which was part of the AT &T heritage for over a century changed overnight. AT &T was clearly was not prepared in dealing with competition. After a while, we adapted and adjusted to competition and made the company worth $200B in value in a very short period of time.
SR: How has the field now changed and what do companies have to do to stay ahead?
HE: I really do believe many industries in today’s environment did not anticipate the value and power of IP technologies 10 years ago and they were not ready. This was all about transformation which I had predicted in 1995. Now, every company is going through this transformation, some massive some in smaller scale. But it is clear and evident that communications industry by itself is going through some massive transformation and if one looks underneath all the technical jargons we use in our daily vocabulary, there is something that is fundamentally changing which will impact the life of every business and every person on the face of the planet over the next 2 decades. We are right at beginning of transformation into what I call “One Seamless Virtual IP world”. Companies who can transform fast around key areas of customer, services, network and culture will win in the 21st century.
SR: What do you think of the iPhone, Apple, and Steve Jobs?
HE: It is coolest technology in this decade and Steve Jobs has proven to be one of the greatest leaders of the 21st century like Jack Welch of GE was in the 90s. Jobs needs to be commended for his vision and accomplishments. Most leaders have vision but they can not execute. Steve not only had the vision but had the team in Apple to execute. Vision without execution is like hallucinations.
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SR: What advise do you have for our young professional readers on how to succeed in the business world?
HE: Change is good and never be afraid of changing jobs or doing something differently to improve your skills during your career. This will help position you to deal with change that may be out of your control.
SR: What is the next big thing in technology?
HE: I believe Nano and Quantum computing will be huge over the next decades. This will drive better ability for computational needs of new medicine to treat cancer, robotic surgeries, prediction of earthquakes and much more sensitive applications such as RFID. Most likely, in 50 years, robots will drive our daily lives and dramatically change the way we behave and operate.
PersianMirror Quikfacts:
Full Name: Dr. Hossein Eslambolchi
Born In: Tehran
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite City: Maui
Favorite Dish: Ghormeh Sabzi
Favorite Drink: Sparkling Water
Languages: Farsi, Italian, English
Currently Reading: Theory of Everything
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