Digital Siege

The average age of an S & P 500 CEO is 55. The average age of an "Internet" entrepreneur is half that. They are in different worlds and yet engaged in an online battle. The established corporation is like a castle on the hill. The entrepreneurs are like a thousand flowers blooming around the castle walls, each focused on claiming a particular stone in the wall. What can the corporate CEO do with their rigid legacy organization and layers of entrenched managers? As John S. Reed, former CEO/Chairman of Citicorp, says in his foreword, "I had the opportunity to be innovative while the head of Citi for sixteen years from 1984-2000. In retrospect I should have been bolder, more willing to totally focus and more willing to spend less time on the routine in spite of its importance." At the other extreme is W. L. (Bill) Schrader, "father of the commercial Internet", who says in his comments, "We had about 200 people in the industry who started the academic Internet in the 80's after the military, CSNet and Bitnet yielded control to NSFNet and then to commercial players. We added a 0 to that beginning 200 every quarter and then every month and then every day, it seems. Now, there ain't no one going to high school without a fucking smart phone, and a laptop to college, in every country, and ONLY to get to the Internet." Digital Siege is a fascinating insider's look at how the Internet is transforming the economic organization, as we know it, pitting the startup against the establishment, the young technical networker against the executive ensconced in his tower. David Browning, an expert who has been successful in both worlds brings it to life with first hand stories from both the executive suite and the entrepreneur's coffee shop.

David J. Browning David Browning has been both a successful corporate executive and international entrepreneur and has suffered from a lifelong ailment. As Dorothy Parker said, "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." Growing up in the Southern California surfing culture of the 1960's, he hitchhiked Europe at age 17, skied. rock climbed, played the piano in melodramas and bars through college in Colorado, and talked his way into an investments/banking job at 22. An M.I.T. business degree, 21 years at Citibank working in 6 countries, a son born in Hong Kong and two daughters born in Singapore, and it was time to pursue other dreams. He left banking at the top and became an artist, race car driver, and spent time with the family teaching the kids to surf, ski, love animals, and other important things in life. Early involvement with the Internet through angel investing led to co-founding and leading Inter.net, the first global consumer ISP with operations in 14 countries in early 2000. After 16 years, the gang of international entrepreneurs are still close friends. David is probably the oldest millennial in existence. He now writes, mentors entrepreneurs, coaches CEOs and is still traveling despite having flown over 3 million miles. He and his wife live in Switzerland.