In the pre-Internet 1970's, Sandy Lerner was part of a loosely-knit group of programmers that was trying to get computers to talk to each other. Eventually, she and Len Bosack launched Cisco Systems, making the routing technology that helped forge the plumbing of the Internet. But when things turned sour at the company, she was forced to leave, giving her the chance to start something entirely new: an edgy line of cosmetics called Urban Decay.

Show Notes:

3:10 - Intro
5:20 - Sandy’s childhood
6:35 - Higher education and working at the bank
8:47 - Sandy starts with computers
10:15 - Working at Stanford
12:28 - The gender gap
13:43 - Meeting Len Bosack
15:22 - Solving problems at Stanford
18:53 - Trying to do something with the technology
21:00 - Starting a company
23:19 - Stanford threatens to take legal action against Sandy
24:51 - Making systems for other customers
26:15 - Learning the hardware
26:52 - Trying to get money
34:01 - Finally finding an investor
36:38 - A new person to run the company
38:28 - Sandy gets pushed out and Len goes with her
45:16 - Developing a system for animal shelters
46:27 - Starting a cosmetics company
51:10 - Sandy sells the company
51:55 - Starting a sustainable farm
53:37 - Keeping a partnership with Len
54:41 - Missing out on a lot of money
56:02 - Luck vs. hard work

Selected Links:

Cisco Systems
Sandy Lerner
Urban Decay
Claremont Graduate School
Len Bosack
Ethernet
Cisco router in 1987
ARPA
Hewlett-Packard
Rutgers
Boeing
Don Valentine
John Morgridge
Urban Decay UV-B
LVMH
L’Oreal
A brief history of the ARPAnet