Oral History of Judy Estrin, part 2 of 3

Interviewed by David C. Brock and and Marc Weber on 2020-02-05 in Mountain View, CA
© Computer History Museum
In this second segment of her three part oral history interview, networking pioneer and entrepreneur Judy Estrin discusses her time managing Bridge Communications, the networking company she cofounded with her then-husband Bill Carrico. She tells the story of taking Bridge public in the mid 1980s, and then various acquisitions by Bridge. That leads into the story of how Bridge was acquired by 3Com, the company cofounded by Ethernet co-inventor Bob Metcalfe.
At 3Com, Estrin assumed the role of director of marketing and sales while Bill Carrico focused on administration. She describes the initial honeymoon period, and then the conflicts that arose over strategy and Bridge's role within 3Com, and between Bill Carrico and 3Com CEO Bill Krause. Estrin and Carrico left the company after nine months. In 1988, they joined the founding team of Network Computing Devices (NCD). Estrin's leadership at NCD led her from executive vice president to president and CEO by 1993.
In 1995, six months after leaving NCD, Estrin co-founded Precept Software, Inc., a company specializing in networking software. Under her guidance as president and CEO, Precept Software experienced notable success, culminating in its acquisition by Cisco Systems in 1998. Following the acquisition, Estrin served as Cisco's chief technology officer until 2000. In 1995, six months after leaving NCD, Estrin co-founded Precept Software, Inc., which developed networking software. Under her guidance as president and CEO, Precept Software experienced notable success, culminating in its acquisition by Cisco Systems in 1998.
Following the acquisition, Estrin served as Cisco's chief technology officer until 2000. Estrin was listed as one of the "50 most powerful businesswomen in the United States" by Fortune in 1998. In 2000, Estrin and Carrico co-founded Packet Design, LLC, a networking technology company with $24 million in funding. Packet Design later spun out three venture-backed startups. During this time, she divorced Carrico. She served as CEO of Packet Design, LLC, until it was dissolved, distributing its assets to investors in late 2007.
After Packet Design, she created JLABS, LLC, which she considered a way to pursue her interests in innovation and leadership. She became the CEO of Evntlive, a tech company founded by her son David Carrico, in 2013.
* Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information - www.computerhistory.org/colle...
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Catalog Number: 102792009
Acquisition Number: X9156.2020

[@shrek22]

wonderful dialogue. thank you!!