Bob Kavner's guest appearances

Bob Kavner

Blood Sweat & Balance Sheets

What Didn't Kill You? with Michael Silverman

Justin Perkins

Gary Swart

Jennifer Ceran

Mike McCabe

Esther Lee

Michelle Murray

Amy Vetter

Ginni Saraswati

Rob Meinhardt

Finance Execs

Jason Mendelson

Daniel Hood

Rock Felder

David Lyford-Smith

Michael Nitti

OwlTail

Continuing on from part one of my conversation with Bob Kavner, I am so excited to share with you this second and final installment of our insightful and educational discussion. As mentioned in the previous episode, Bob is a former CFO and multimedia chief at ‘AT&amp;T’, as well as a prominent figure within other game-changing tech and multimedia startups such as ‘Pandora’, ‘Earthlink', Ticketmaster’  and many more. Today, we dive into the fascinating story of how AT&amp;T sold the rights to control the cellular &amp; wireless revolution and had to buy it back by acquiring McCaw cellular in one of the largest acquisitions in US history at the time, how Bob approached making such a huge life decision when stepping down from his position at ‘AT&amp;T’, why being exposed to entrepreneurs within the tech and media industry influenced him during the course of developing his own creative endeavors, as well as how the unique concept of ‘traumatizing’ has been utilized across businesses. Bob also shares the inspiration he has gained from his experiences with a variety of luminaries he’s worked with over the years, including Bill Gates, Bill Gross, Michael Ovitz, Sky Dayton, and Andy Grove, just to name a few. To hear more, tune in to Episode 8 of What Didn’t Kill You!Some Questions I Ask:Could you talk a bit about your experience working on projections and analytics surrounding wireless opportunities while you were at ‘AT&amp;T’ (1:09) What was your biggest learning lesson throughout the transition period before you bought ‘McCaw Network’? (6:28)During your tenure at ‘Earthlink’ and ‘Pandora’, did you and your team feel that the torrential growth you’d been predicting was on its way? (9:44)How did you approach making such a huge career move when deciding to leave ‘AT&amp;T’ and produce your own operation? (11:20)What was it about the opportunity to move into the creative arts, that was so appealing to you? (18:00)Did your exposure to entrepreneurs within the tech field inform your decision on wanting to break away from working in large corporations? (26:24)Could you talk a bit about what ‘Idealab’ is &amp; The process that you and Bill Gross have undergone while incubating so many companies (30:32)What role does failure play in the process of iteration? (34:06)Are there ways you apply the process of ‘self traumatizing’ to your personal life or within the businesses that you’re involved with? (37:15)Are there specific things that you look for in order to make sure your organizations are consistently checking on what they can improve on? (38:58)In This Episode You Will Learn:How Bob’s relationship with Silicon Valley influenced the trajectory of his team and their involvement in the cellular industry (5:05)Bob’s experience investing in ‘General Magic’ &amp; How that venture relates to timing in business (8:22)Bob’s experience mentoring Sky Dayton (10:08)Bob’s retelling of his meeting with Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold &amp; How the initial investment between ‘Microsoft’ and ‘AT&amp;T’ affected him (11:48)The story of how ‘AT&amp;T’ initially attracted Bob to the business (20:38)Bob’s involvement in the ‘Universal Studios’ deal during the nineties &amp; How his partnership with Bill Gross on ‘Idealab’ came to be (23:06)The concept of ‘traumatization’ within a company &amp; Why it’s so important (28:26)Let’s Connect!What Didn’t Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail© 2020 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Continuing on from part one of my conversation with Bob Kavner, I am so excited to share with you this second and final installment of our insightful and educational discussion. As mentioned in the previous episode, Bob is a former CFO and multimedia chief at ‘AT&amp;T’, as well as a prominent figure within other game-changing tech and multimedia startups such as ‘Pandora’, ‘Earthlink', Ticketmaster’ and many more. Today, we dive into the fascinating story of how AT&amp;T sold the rights to control the cellular &amp; wireless revolution and had to buy it back by acquiring McCaw cellular in one of the largest acquisitions in US history at the time, how Bob approached making such a huge life decision when stepping down from his position at ‘AT&amp;T’, why being exposed to entrepreneurs within the tech and media industry influenced him during the course of developing his own creative endeavors, as well as how the unique concept of ‘traumatizing’ has been utilized across businesses. Bob also shares the inspiration he has gained from his experiences with a variety of luminaries he’s worked with over the years, including Bill Gates, Bill Gross, Michael Ovitz, Sky Dayton, and Andy Grove, just to name a few. To hear more, tune in to Episode 8 of What Didn’t Kill You!Some Questions I Ask:<ul><li>Could you talk a bit about your experience working on projections and analytics surrounding wireless opportunities while you were at ‘AT&amp;T’ (1:09) </li><li>What was your biggest learning lesson throughout the transition period before you bought ‘McCaw Network’? (6:28)</li><li>During your tenure at ‘Earthlink’ and ‘Pandora’, did you and your team feel that the torrential growth you’d been predicting was on its way? (9:44)</li><li>How did you approach making such a huge career move when deciding to leave ‘AT&amp;T’ and produce your own operation? (11:20)</li><li>What was it about the opportunity to move into the creative arts, that was so appealing to you? (18:00)</li><li>Did your exposure to entrepreneurs within the tech field inform your decision on wanting to break away from working in large corporations? (26:24)</li><li>Could you talk a bit about what ‘Idealab’ is &amp; The process that you and Bill Gross have undergone while incubating so many companies (30:32)</li><li>What role does failure play in the process of iteration? (34:06)</li><li>Are there ways you apply the process of ‘self traumatizing’ to your personal life or within the businesses that you’re involved with? (37:15)</li><li>Are there specific things that you look for in order to make sure your organizations are consistently checking on what they can improve on? (38:58)</li></ul> In This Episode You Will Learn:<ul><li>How Bob’s relationship with Silicon Valley influenced the trajectory of his team and their involvement in the cellular industry (5:05)</li><li>Bob’s experience investing in ‘General Magic’ &amp; How that venture relates to timing in business (8:22)</li><li>Bob’s experience mentoring Sky Dayton (10:08)</li><li>Bob’s retelling of his meeting with Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold &amp; How the initial investment between ‘Microsoft’ and ‘AT&amp;T’ affected him (11:48)</li><li>The story of how ‘AT&amp;T’ initially attracted Bob to the business (20:38)</li><li>Bob’s involvement in the ‘Universal Studios’ deal during the nineties &amp; How his partnership with Bill Gross on ‘Idealab’ came to be (23:06)</li><li>The concept of ‘traumatization’ within a company &amp; Why it’s so important (28:26)</li></ul> Let’s Connect!<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatdidntkillyou/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn’t Kill You - Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/what-didn-t-kill-you/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="www.whatdidntkillyou.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - Website</a></li><li><a href="whatdidntkillyou@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - E-mail</a></li></ul> © 2020 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.

Bob Kavner Part 2 - the Business Behind a Great Investment & What We Can Learn From Failure

In today’s episode, I’m joined by legendary tech investor and executive, Bob Kavner! Bob was formerly the CFO of AT&amp;T and lead AT&amp;T's multimedia division. He has also been chairman and an early investor for an incredible array of revolutionary companies including Earthlink, Pandora, Overture, Ticketmaster, and so many more.Bob has an incredible life story and has spent more than three decades at the intersection of technology and multimedia while working closely with some of the biggest luminaries in the field. In part one of our conversation together, Bob offers his insights into the impact that strong mentorship has had on him, how his personal and intellectual development throughout his early years taught him how to be a more present and engaged romantic partner and businessman, as well as why personal failure was something that needed to happen for him to experience growth.  To learn more on Bob and listen to our conversation in further depth, tune in to Episode 7 of What Didn’t Kill You! Some Questions I Ask:How did having such a profound mentor in your life inform your view on what a strong performance should look like? (13:11)Did you notice any similarities in dynamics amongst the performers and leaders you met during your early days in business? (15:40)How did you go from being a Senior Audit Partner on the ‘AT&amp;T’ account to joining the company? (17:51)As someone who has been married for so long and been a successful leader in business, how do you approach maintaining a fair work and life balance? (27:20)Was there anything you took away from your first marriage that you applied to later relationships when your work life became too demanding? (31:30)Did the personal development you went through in your thirties feed into your evolving outlook on Management and Business? (36:33)In This Episode You Will Learn:Some background on Bob. (1:42)The exposure to different work practices Bob gained throughout the industries he worked in. (9:43)How Bob became a Senior Partner at ‘AT&amp;T’. (10:25)Bob’s perspective on his own adversity. (26:31)Why failure played such a key role in Bob accessing his humility and vulnerability. (33:16)Let’s Connect!What Didn’t Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail© 2020 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by legendary tech investor and executive, Bob Kavner! Bob was formerly the CFO of AT&amp;T and lead AT&amp;T's multimedia division. He has also been chairman and an early investor for an incredible array of revolutionary companies including Earthlink, Pandora, Overture, Ticketmaster, and so many more.Bob has an incredible life story and has spent more than three decades at the intersection of technology and multimedia while working closely with some of the biggest luminaries in the field. In part one of our conversation together, Bob offers his insights into the impact that strong mentorship has had on him, how his personal and intellectual development throughout his early years taught him how to be a more present and engaged romantic partner and businessman, as well as why personal failure was something that needed to happen for him to experience growth.  To learn more on Bob and listen to our conversation in further depth, tune in to Episode 7 of What Didn’t Kill You! Some Questions I Ask:<ul><li>How did having such a profound mentor in your life inform your view on what a strong performance should look like? (13:11)</li><li>Did you notice any similarities in dynamics amongst the performers and leaders you met during your early days in business? (15:40)</li><li>How did you go from being a Senior Audit Partner on the ‘AT&amp;T’ account to joining the company? (17:51)</li><li>As someone who has been married for so long and been a successful leader in business, how do you approach maintaining a fair work and life balance? (27:20)</li><li>Was there anything you took away from your first marriage that you applied to later relationships when your work life became too demanding? (31:30)</li><li>Did the personal development you went through in your thirties feed into your evolving outlook on Management and Business? (36:33)</li></ul> In This Episode You Will Learn:<ul><li>Some background on Bob. (1:42)</li><li>The exposure to different work practices Bob gained throughout the industries he worked in. (9:43)</li><li>How Bob became a Senior Partner at ‘AT&amp;T’. (10:25)</li><li>Bob’s perspective on his own adversity. (26:31)</li><li>Why failure played such a key role in Bob accessing his humility and vulnerability. (33:16)</li></ul> Let’s Connect!<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatdidntkillyou/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn’t Kill You - Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/what-didn-t-kill-you/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="www.whatdidntkillyou.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - Website</a></li><li><a href="whatdidntkillyou@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What Didn't Kill You - E-mail</a></li></ul> © 2020 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.

Bob Kavner Part 1 - How Mentorship, Self-Awareness, and a Commitment to Great Work Formed the Foundation for an Incredible Career

In this episode, Mike sits down with Bob Kavner who's had an illustrious career across various finance and leadership roles including those with AT&amp;T &amp; Pandora. Bob has a lot of great stories to share from when he was fresh out of school and all the way up to today. Don't miss this one.

In this episode, Mike sits down with Bob Kavner who's had an illustrious career across various finance and leadership roles including those with AT&amp;T &amp; Pandora. Bob has a lot of great stories to share from when he was fresh out of school and all the way up to today. Don't miss this one.