Tom Perkins
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Thomas James Perkins (Born 1932), American businessman, capitalist, and was one of the founders of leading venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.
He received an B.S. in EECS (course 6) from MIT in 1953, and later earned an MBA from Harvard in 1957.
In 1963, he was invited by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard to become the administrative head of the research department at Hewlett-Packard. He was the first general manager of HP's computer divisions, credited with helping shepherd HP's entry into the minicomputer business. During the 1960s, he also started University Laboratories, which was later merged into Spectra-Physics.
In 1972, with Eugene Kleiner, Frank Caufield, and Brook Byers, he co-founded Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the first Sand Hill Road venture capital firms. He served as a director of Applied Materials, Compaq, Corning Glass, Genentech, Hewlett-Packard, and Philips Electronics. He served as the only chairman of Tandem Computers, from its founding in 1974 until its 1997 merger with Compaq. Perkins was also chairman of Genentech from 1976 until 1990 when it merged with Roche Holding Ltd.
Perkins had two children with his first wife, the former Gerd Thune-Ellefsen. After she died in 1994, he married romance novelist Danielle Steel in March 1998; her book The Klone and I (ISBN 0385323921) was about their friendship. They separated in August 1999 and were later "amicably" divorced.
During the HP/Compaq merger fight in 2001, Perkins was a member of the Compaq board and an outspoken supporter of the merger. He joined the HP Board of Directors in the merger, retired, and officially rejoined the HP board days before Carly Fiorina was fired from her posts as chairman and chief executive officer of HP.
In January 2006, Perkins published his first romance novel, Sex and the Single Zillionaire, (ISBN 0060851678) which he dedicated to Steel. The plot of the book is based on a reality TV idea which was pitched to Perkins, where he would date a series of women and choose one to marry. He claims that "no 'ghost' did the writing." Proceeds from the book will be donated to Harvard University.
As of 2006, Perkins has a net worth greater than $100 million, and is building a 289-foot sailing yacht which he plans to name "The Maltese Falcon."
References
- Extensions of Remarks. Representative Anna G. Eshoo, [In honor of Thomas J. Perkins inducted into the Business Hall of Fame by the Santa Clara County Chapter of Junior Achievement.] Congressional Record. 103rd cong., 2nd sess., 1994, (19 April 1994): E715.
- (source for Genentech tenure)
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