Tech Executive Advises San Francisco Students To 'Be Inspired'
A recent report from the Milken Institute says San Francisco ranked first among Best Performing Large Cities in America for 2014. The report lists San Francisco's wage growth and growth in technology gross domestic product (GDP) as two factors for its rise to the top. Part of the region's success can be credited to talented individuals like Charles Huang, COO of Silicon Valley startup Leeo and co-founder of the enormously popular video game Guitar Hero.
What is your background and education?
"I was born in Taiwan but moved to the U.S. at an early age and lived in a suburb of New York. During the early 80s, we moved to Silicon Valley during the tech boom. My friends all had Apple computers and we played video games like Wavy Navy. My parents bought me an IBM PC for school, but much to their dismay, I mostly used it for games like King's Quest. I attended UC Berkeley, where I studied Asian Studies and Economics."
What type of services and/or product does Leeo provide to customers?
"Leeo's Smart Alert Night Light is a plug-in smart home device. It listens to anomalous noise in the house, e.g. smoke and CO alarms then notifies you or others if you're not home. It's like your ears in your home when you're not there."
What career advice can you share with tech students?
"My first goal in college was to become a Chinese History professor. But things changed and I started making video games. Luckily, one of those games (Guitar Hero) sold pretty well. Today I'm building smart home products at Leeo that may someday save a life."
"My advice to tech students - study and work abroad. The world needs lots of different technology and you won't understand that unless you see how other people live. Also, some of the best career opportunities for you may not be in the U.S. I believe this so much that my wife and I sponsor a scholarship program at UC Berkeley to help send students to study and work in China, inspired by my year studying in Beijing. Go out and be inspired by the world!"
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
