An Interview with Suhas Patil

Gemperlein :   A couple of fast questions. What's the last book you read?
Patil :   Lately, I've been reading books on management, the higher order of management. Built to Last . That was the last book but I didn't finish it yet.

I do enjoy reading other books. It's just that, as the company is in transition to go from where it is now to a larger company, I have gotten fascinated by all these aspects of companies, individuals, and things like that. I have my own view of companies. Companies are like children. They grow. From elementary school stage to teenage. We seem to be in late-teenage here. I have two children who go through that, and the behavior is exactly like that.

Would you ever hire a computer hacker who committed a crime?
I would not. Because I think that the intellectual honesty and personal characteristics come before anything else.

I do play the father or parent figure, and many times conflicts are just like between my kids and me. And I know that this thing's over at some point because today I had a great conversation with my children, and we debate. We can actually stand and enjoy it, get something out of it.

So, for a corporation, I think it's going through that, so I am very fascinated by these books.

Gemperlein :   Would you ever hire a computer hacker who committed a crime?
Patil :   I would not. Because I think that the intellectual honesty and personal characteristics come before anything else.
Gemperlein :   Some people spend most of their time, their waking and hours when they should be sleeping, on the computer talking to people. Do you think that's a danger in terms of social interaction?
Patil :   If they're doing it at certain phases of their career or growth, there's no harm in it. It's like when you find something you're passionately turned on about. It's not unusual to spend enormous time (at it.) It passes. Now if it becomes a sort of habit, what's the right word for it? If it becomes like any other addiction, then obviously, one has to be helped to grow out of it.
Gemperlein :   Do you see any down sides to technology?
Patil :   The downside to technology doesn't come from technology. It comes from human beings. How you use it. What you do with it. Technology is no help by itself. It has to do with people. Their own handling of themselves, morality, and vision. By itself, technology is neutral; how you use it makes a difference.
Gemperlein :   Well, along these lines, have you ever thought about worrying that something that you created would be used for ill purposes?
Patil :   Well, I haven't worked on any nuclear stuff or things that are very close to that range, so I haven't had to struggle with it. Anything that anybody does could potentially be misused.

The answer to that is not paralysis. The answer is to be very clear and proactive in expressing your views on this matter and influencing people.

Gemperlein :   What's your vision of the future of technology?
Patil :   Let me say that the Internet is real and is definitely beyond whatever people think. It's a way of having access to a worldwide library out of your place where you are. As the speeds get better and your ability to go places gets better, this is going to be a very significant method of learning. So toward that end, I think all schools ought to have it and many of those who can afford will have it as well at their home.


Courtesy of Photographer Suhas Patil

The biggest thing we can do in school is not let anyone get behind. And this has nothing to do with technology. It's really how you handle a student. By its very nature, a classroom is going to be very organized for efficient teaching. But we need to spot who is falling behind and catch them after the school and get them back on track at the earliest so that they do not fall behind. What happens is when a student falls behind, the efficiency of learning for the student diminishes. That only puts the student farther behind.

The downside to technology doesn't come from technology. It comes from human beings. How you use it. What you do with it. Technology is no help by itself. It has to do with people. Their own handling of themselves, morality, and vision.

So I have thought about, in this valley, organizing after-school voluntary tutorials done by the parents and teachers and whoever, because the talent pool is enormous. Whose sole purpose is ... with the sole purpose of getting back on the track. And you do that in school itself. And to make it fun. There's no grades involved here.

And somebody looking out to see who might be falling behind. You can pick that up. You can tell who is falling behind. So, it's my opinion that the entire class can be taken along, and the whole purpose of education is to bring the student to the best potential. A lot can be done.

Danielson :   Do you think of the growth in technology in the classroom has maybe added to the competitiveness or the interest in your field of technology? Have you seen that personally?
Patil :   No. Those kids haven't come to us yet. But, you know, when technology is introduced, sometimes wrong decisions are made. We have calculators. Does that mean we should not be able to calculate in our minds? To automatically, with great facility? The answer is just the opposite.
The biggest thing we can do in school is not let anyone get behind. And this has nothing to do with technology. It's really how you handle a student.

We'll be dealing with a lot more numbers, so we need to actually train and teach the students to do it all in head without the use of the instrument. The instrument will allow you to go much more beyond. So it is very important to visualize, conceptualize, and do it very intuitively in your head and not just be dependent on these mechanical entities. This point is many times totally missed by the educational system.

Gemperlein :   What do you think people say about you behind your back?
Patil :   How would I know? I don't get paranoid at all. I think that I am ... people describe me even now as professorial. It has to do with my style of language. And I a little bit look like a professor. OK. So that doesn't help much. And I guess once a professor, you're forever a professor, right? But I'm also an entrepreneur, forever an entrepreneur.
When technology is introduced, sometimes wrong decisions are made. We have calculators. Does that mean we should not be able to calculate in our minds? To automatically, with great facility? The answer is just the opposite.

I'll tell you a few things I've learned from other people telling me about myself. I have tremendous ability to focus. . . it goes back to the science experiment days, right? If I was working on something, I would lose the sense of time and would be totally absorbed in it. It was only later on I understood that meant I was so interested in it and so focused that time would go by and I wouldn't even know about it.

I a little bit look like a professor. OK. So that doesn't help much. And I guess once a professor, you're forever a professor, right? But I'm also an entrepreneur, forever an entrepreneur.

I am also described as a little bit absent-minded. When you're focusing on something, you're de-focusing on something else, and it's very easy to have the behavior of absent-mindedness.

I remain calm even when things are falling apart. I consider that very essential for survival. ... I am a person who would rather listen, in a larger meeting, and understand what is going on than talking all the time.

You get things done when you keep your mental faculty working very fast. It doesn't mean you have to be agitated. The more agitated you are, the more you talk, the less you think.

I believe that the business in America doesn't fully understand yet this art of how to do things in a very powerful way and it has to do with the misunderstood notion of how ego plays in success. I think that it actually interferes and not help. So, that's totally misunderstood from my perspective. The energy comes from more focus of mind and not arrogance of who I am. Humanity in a proper way is far more powerful than bloated ego, in my opinion.

You get things done when you keep your mental faculty working very fast. It doesn't mean you have to be agitated. The more agitated you are, the more you talk, the less you think.