3Com's goal was computer communication compatibility -- 3Com -- and our first three chosen standards, then controversial, were , TCP/IP, and Unix. 3Com shipped the first commercial version of TCP/IP for Unix in 1980 and the . We went three for three.

I was just in Marlborough to celebrate 3Com's recent 30th anniversary. Exhilarating.

On whether he still has a stake in 3Com:

I retired from 3Com in 1990 and sold all my shares soon thereafter to create a blind trust for my 1990s career in high-tech punditry. Today I own a few shares for old times’ sake, so I won't be seeing much of the $2.7B.