Distinguished Invincibelle: Esther Dyson

The Beginnings

Q: Growing up, what were some of the things that shaped you into what you are today?
A: We didn’t have a television at home, so I spent most of my free time reading books. My parents were scientists, so I just assumed I would be a scientist too…until I decided to be a novelist! Then I got interested in business, which in some ways is far more intellectually challenging than any of these.

Q: Did you have any setbacks and what kept you going?
A: Actually no. I did get fired from Forbes Magazine, but it was mutual. I was getting bored … and so I moved on to Wall Street, which for four years at least was exciting. (I lasted five.)

Q: What is the one thing you wish someone told you about a lot sooner in life?
A: Floss regularly! My parents didn’t teach me that, so I didn’t get around to it until my mid-thirties.

The Present

Q: What are your current personal & professional pursuits?
A: Mostly, I invest in and sit on the boards of start-up companies, including 23andMe, Eventful, Boxbe, Meetup … and several in Europe, including Russia.

Q: What are your hobbies? How do you relax? Are you able to manage work life balance?
A: I swim every day, and I think that is what saves me from stress, alcoholism, bad temper, bad decisions and a host of other ills. Every day I spend an hour thinking over whatever is on my mind—challenges I’m facing, schedule conflicts I have to resolve, speeches I’m going to make, my relations with other people, and the results of things I did or didn’t do. That enables me to focus better the rest of the day, because I have either resolved the tough questions or I know I’ll have an hour the next day to think them over.

Q: What are some of the things that you are proud to have accomplished? what is a little-known fact about you?
A: My article about “intellectual property on the Net,” in Wired Magazine in 1994.