Edward McCracken

Edward McCracken (McCracken Edward R.) (p. 1943), chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Silicon Graphics, Inc., World's biggest maker of computer visualization, high-performance workstations and servers.

Born near Fairchild (pc. Iowa) in a poor farming family. Attended a small rural school. With ten years of farm-raised bulls to earn education.

In 1966 McCracken graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of science, and in 1968 - Stanford University (specialty electrical engineering). Soon, he was admitted to the post of manager of products and training programs in the company Hewlett-Packard, where he worked for 16 years and rose to general manager of computer systems.

In 1984, McCracken was invited to Silicon Graphics for the post of chairman and chief executive.

A short, quiet, it does not correspond to the usual fast-growing computer industry and a strong image of the menacing CEO. The work of McCracken made a bet on the meditative method of stimulating your intuition and creativity. And it bore fruit. For 10 years, which McCracken had at the helm of the company, revenues Silicon Graphics has grown from 5.3 million. dollars to more than 1,5 billion and the total number of employees exceeded 11 600 people worldwide, including employees of the absorbed company Cray Research, Inc. Its revenue for 1995 was 2.6 billion. dollars, net profit - 216 million. U.S.. Approximately 35% of sales amounted to Silicon Graphics programs for technical design, 20% - visual simulation, 20% - research objectives and 20% - entertainment.

Much of this success, credited with a comfortable atmosphere of the Silicon Graphics. When in the company's headquarters are films, in which technology was used SGI, are arranged around a vending machine soft drinks, and tables for ping-pong.

Adhering to the philosophy of a close relationship with the consumer, McCracken believes that we can not follow a policy of long-term planning. This makes it possible to make quick changes to the company's products and adapt them to rapidly changing market conditions, the visual computing products. The Company believes that a significant part of the multimedia industry will be the future of interactive television. The first such project the company is already embodied in the life.

McCracken is actively involved in public life. In 1993 he was appointed by Bill Clinton as co-chair of the National Advisory Committee on Information Infrastructure (The United States Advisory Council for the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council). McCracken is also a director of several corporations, charitable foundation, runs the foundation of the State University of Iowa.

Company under the leadership of McCracken was involved in the entertainment industry to create computer animation effects in movies - such hits as Toy Story, Apollo 13 and other. There are an active part in the work of McCracken established in 1997 by Steven Spielberg e-studio "DreamWork"

. Among the numerous awards McCracken - United States National Medal for contribution to the development of technology (1995), . in particular for the fundamental work in the field of three-dimensional visualization and supercomputing technologies, . as well as for his achievements in making the Silicon Graphics Corporation in the global world of advanced technology,
. This medal is awarded annually to the U.S. president as the highest award for contribution to the development of modern technologies.