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Steve Case Speaks with Kenzie Academy

Image of Steven Case

One of the coolest parts of being a Kenzie Academy learner is interacting with tech industry innovators through events like AMAs (Ask Me Anything). These events give learners a better picture of our industry and get them pumped about starting their careers in tech.

So you can imagine how excited we were to host Steve Case for an AMA a couple of weeks ago. Steve spoke with Kenzie learners about how he started AOL (America Online), where he served as co-founder and CEO. AOL was the first Internet company to go public and also became the world’s largest Internet company (casual). Steve was also the founding chairman of the Startup America partnership, which was launched at the White House in 2011. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Smithsonian and the Chairman of The Case Foundation. For the last 15 years, he’s led the venture investment firm Revolution. So how does one find the kind of success Steve’s had in his career in tech? Check out the video or read the video transcript below to hear his story.

Steve told us he was “always intrigued with the idea of the Internet.” But like many in tech, he actually didn’t start out in this industry. After graduating from college, he began working in marketing at Procter & Gamble. He then took his skills to work at PizzaHut as the Director of New Pizza Development — a tasty job that allowed Steve to travel around the country trying different pizzas (we’re a bit jealous, not gonna lie). Throughout his time at these jobs, his interest in the Internet grew stronger. He moved to Washington D.C. and took a position at a startup. Though the startup failed, he met Marc Seriff and Jim Kimsey who would become his co-founders at AOL. And the rest is history.

One of our favorite takeaways from the interview was when Steve explained how his various experiences helped him become the professional he is today, even though they seemed unrelated to what he wanted to do at the time. Since we believe anyone can start a career in tech if they’re motivated enough regardless of their background, hearing him share how his different life experiences could be married into a successful tech career particularly resonated with us.

Peep this quote to see what we mean:

“You just have to keep your mind and eyes open, look for patterns and insights and not just view each as a separate chapter. How do you, as you evolve, continue to expand your understanding and insights into things? It’s a cumulative knowledge based on a lot of experiences. Even though at the time, they might seem odd and not particularly helpful. As I look back, some of those odd experiences ended up being super helpful.”

Steve shared his journey into the tech industry and answered learner questions over the course of the call. Interested in checking out more AMAs from Kenzie Academy? Head over to our YouTube page to hear from more movers and shakers in the tech industry.

white male, Steve Case, on camera with a KA Kenzie Academy logo
AMA with Steve Case
[74 Mins]

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