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Bob Metcalfe

Computational Engineer, Entrepreneur & Professor; Co-Inventor of Ethernet

Computational Engineer, Entrepreneur & Professor; Co-Inventor of Ethernet

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Austin, TX, USA
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Bob Metcalfe Biography

Robert M. "Bob" Metcalfe, developer of Ethernet and other Internet-related technologies, was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. Fascinated by technology and gadgets as a child, he already knew at the age of ten that he wanted to become an electrical engineer and attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Metcalfe did attend MIT eventually, and he graduated in 1969 with bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and business management. In 1970, he received a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Harvard University, and he completed his PhD in computer science at Harvard in 1973.

At Harvard, Metcalfe wrote his doctoral dissertation based on research that he did on packet switching in the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) and Aloha computer networks in MIT's project MAC. Meanwhile, in 1972, Metcalfe began working at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), where he met D.R. Boggs. With Boggs, Metcalfe invented what has come to be known as Ethernet, the local area networking (LAN) technology that turns PCs into communication tools by linking them together. Eventually, the technology would be used to link together more than 50 million PCs worldwide.

In 1976, Metcalfe moved to the Xerox Systems Development Division, where he was responsible for a series of developments that led to the Xerox Star workstation. Star was the first PC to include a bit-map screen, mouse, word processing, Ethernet, and software that included text and graphics in the same document.

In 1979, Metcalfe left Xerox and founded 3Com Corporation in Santa Clara, California. At 3Com, Metcalfe aimed to promote PC LANs and Ethernet as the standard. Although he was unable to persuade IBM to use Ethernet as a standard, he did bring together Digital Equipment, Intel, and Xerox and made Ethernet the most widely used LAN.

At 3Com, Metcalfe served as CEO, President, Chairman of the Board, and Division General Manager. He has said, however, that his greatest accomplishment there was when, as head of sales and marketing, he increased sales from zero to $1 million per month. Under his guidance, 3Com, which he named for three words – computer, communication, and compatibility – became a Fortune 500 corporation.

In 1990, Metcalfe retired from 3Com. A year later, he traveled to Wolfson College at Oxford University in England, where he spent a year as a visiting fellow. He began his career in journalism when he returned, writing for Computerworld, Communications Week, Digital Media, Network Computing, and Technology Review. In 1993, he became vice president of technology for the International Data Group, the parent company of InfoWorld Magazine.

Metcalfe is still very active on the technology scene, advising and mentoring others involved in computer-related technology. He holds the position of Professor of Innovation and the Murchison Fellow of Free Enterprise at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 05/13/2024.

Bob Metcalfe Videos

  • ConnectWise Automation Nation 2018 - Bob Metcalfe Keynote ...
    Automation Nation is the premier technical event for ConnectWise partners who are seeking to grow their knowledge and actionable expertise, ...
  • Interview with the founder of Ethernet | Bob Metcalfe | AR in Action ...
    AR in Action Founder John Werner interviews John Metcalfe, inventor if the Ethernet. They cover topics regarding highlights in Metcalfe's ...

FAQs on booking Bob Metcalfe

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  • What are the speaker fees for Bob Metcalfe

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  • What topics does Bob Metcalfe speak about?

    Bob Metcalfe is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Business Growth, Business Leadership, College, Education, Engineering, Entertainment, Innovation, Inventors, Professors, Social Media.
  • Where does Bob Metcalfe travel from?

    Bob Metcalfe generally travels from Austin, TX, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Bob Metcalfe’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Bob Metcalfe for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Bob Metcalfe for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Bob Metcalfe or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Bob Metcalfe is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Bob Metcalfe for your event is available upon request. Bob Metcalfe generally travels from Austin, TX, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Vinton Cerf, David Barnett, Alex Johnson, Mike Rother and Peter Hinssen. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Bob Metcalfe for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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