Bob Alberti: Go Your Own Way (Pt. 2)

Stayin' Alive in Tech

In our first episode with Bob Alberti, we heard what it was like to be at the forefront of the new world of computers and early internet of the 1970s, along with all the innovations he had a key role in during the decades that followed. Do you play games like World of Warcraft? Thank Bob for that. Ever search for something on the internet? He helped develop that, too. (If you missed the first episode, give it a listen, too.)

While Bob was certainly excited to see the primitive internet of the 1970s and 80s develop into what we use now, the rapid advances in speed, usage, and capabilities presented a whole new set of problems—many of which he was already sounding the alarm on in the mid-90s. What do we do about data security and the massive potential disinformation that practically anyone can put out there? There wasn’t an easy answer then, and there definitely isn’t one now.

In this second of two episodes with Bob, you’ll hear him discuss why the creation of the internet is just as significant as the invention of the first printing press, and the unintended consequences that come with being able to send information from one corner of the world to the next in a matter of seconds. He also reflects on the new world we find ourselves in since the pandemic began and how, if it weren’t for the newfound need to work from home, many of us may have been unnecessarily bound to cubicles for the next few decades.

Ultimately, Bob closes his time with us by offering some simple advice on determining what your life and career path should be—advice that comes from a man who’s tried his hand at more than a few things in life, including his more newfound passion: improv.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• GamBit Multisystems—Bob’s company credited with developing the world’s first MMORPG, along with other commercial email, chat, and interactive games.
• Sdf.org—A real, living, working example of a Gopher server you can still use today
• “After 32 years, dad is now grad,” article featuring Bob in the Minneapolis Star Tribune
• “Sorting through electronic keepsakes: Sentimentality has turned many of our computers into ‘the new attic.’" from the Star Tribune

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead™, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco.

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