Interviewed by Grant Saviers on 2023-03-02 in Austin, TX
© Computer History Museum
Called, “the epitome of Silicon Valley serial entrepreneurs, with fast cars, big yachts, and commuting to work in his own plane”, Finis was instrumental in the success of three major startup companies in the storage industry. Two that became billion dollar companies.
He grew up in rural Alabama and made his way to California at age 19 with $100 in his pocket when an older brother in San Jose invited him. His storage career began as a typist at IBM and then he moved on to Memorex where he met Al Shurgart. Then he joined the fledgling Shugart Associates and became a major contributor to its growth. Next with Al Shugart, he founded Seagate and created the first 5-1/4” hard disk drive which was a game changer for desktop and small computers.
Seeing a new opportunity for 3-1/2” disk drives for mobile computers, he teamed with John Squires to form Conner Peripherals. That led to spectacular growth records, among them first year sales of over $100 million and fastest ever to $1 billion. Finis was recognized as “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the same year by both Harvard and Stanford, something that had never occurred. Finis discusses his “sell, design, build” strategy and how that set Conner on the path to great success.
* Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information - www.computerhistory.org/collec...
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Catalog Number: 102792816
Acquisition Number: 2023.0034
14 май 2023
