Martin Cooper, while at Motorola, conceived of the portable cellular phone and led the team that created the first one in 1973. He has contributed to wireless communications technology for over 60 years as an inventor, entrepreneur, and executive. He’s contributed immensely to many important advancements in wireless communications, from the first car phones and radio pagers to the latest cellular generations.
During his 29-year tenure with Motorola, Cooper was a division manager and served as Corporate Director of R&D. Subsequently, he started several businesses which he led to dominate the U.S. cellular billing industry in the 1980s.
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Marconi Prize recipient, a Prince of Asturias Laureate, and has received many other awards including induction into the Wireless and Consumer Electronics Halls of Fame. Time Magazine, in 2007, named him one of the top 100 inventors in history.
What are the top three mistakes you made publishing your book and what did you learn from them?
- My first proposal was way overdone and not credible.
- The book itself was not ready. I made huge revisions after seeking a publisher, but it was too late.
- In my first attempt to write the book, I depended on others. Only when I personally spent the time and effort did I produce a book that told my story in my words and of which I’m proud. There are no shortcuts.
When will you consider your book a success?
My book “Cutting the Cord” was a success when I read the final edited version. This was borne out when the people I care about reacted to the book, reviewed it objectively and repeated the essence of the message to me and others. Becoming a “Best Seller “in several Amazon categories, briefly, was an ego trip but far less satisfying than realizing that my readers resonated with the story of the creation of the handheld cell phone and with its yet unrealized potential.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the book?
One of the important messages in the book relates to the danger of engineers and entrepreneurs falling in love with the science and mechanics and forgetting that it’s the benefit to people that define a successful product. The fuss in our industry about 5G is an example. People benefit from good coverage and affordability, not from super speed and low latency.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Taking on the biggest company in the world in making the cell phone handheld instead of a car phone would have been foolhardy without a dedicated top management at Motorola that bet the company on the premise that I was right. Persistence (it took almost 14 years to persuade the FCC that portable communications was what people wanted and needed) and the ability to take a risk were both necessary.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
Sorting through the enormous variety of services available on the Web can be a challenge, but it’s essential. Even if one’s publisher offers some services, it’s valuable to know what the basics are and what the competition offers. Writing a book is not unlike starting a business. All the entrepreneurial rules apply.
If you had the chance to start your career over, what would you do differently?
I made a lot of mistakes in my life and career but learned from most of them and tried not to repeat them. I’m still learning and thinking today and would not have the ability to do that if I hadn’t had the travails and successes of the last 90 years or so. If I tried to reverse a past failure, who knows whether that might have introduced more negative than positive consequences.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
My top priority in life is to continue learning. Maintaining curiosity and skepticism at the same time is hard but worth the effort. A skill at fact-checking using all modern resources is essential.
What helped you stay driven and motivated to finish writing your book?
A supportive wife is a great help, but once I got on the right track about the approach and content, I found myself surrounded by friends and resources that kept me energized. For example, my book cover designer and copy editor took my material and professionally shaped it to make me look good. My acknowledgments took over three pages of the book.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I have a half dozen projects that keep me overcommitted. I’m investing time and money into understanding why the hearing aid industry is doing such a poor job of helping the 10 or 15 % of our population that is hearing impaired. That’s a hard problem that involves the brain as well as the hearing system of our bodies. The research that I’m supporting will hopefully help, but there’s a lot to learn and to do.
If you’re not passionate about your message, your readers will find that out and you won’t succeed, but that’s true about most everything in life. Before you start, do the preparation. Read books on comparable subjects to find what others are good and fail at and then develop your own style. You can’t copy passion – or pretend it.
What is your definition of success?
Success for an individual is liking yourself enough to know you can keep improving how you deal with life for the rest of your days. You can be fond of yourself and still be supercritical, but it’s hard; objectivity is hard but worthwhile seeking.
How do you personally overcome fear?
Rationality is the only defense against fear. There’s no shame in being afraid but being paralyzed by fear is unproductive. Afraid? Take a deep breath and figure it out. But don’t take too long; you may have good reason to be afraid.
* Developed over the years as a framework for thinking about the future, Marty’s maxims have long guided his curiosity. They are presented below:
Marty’s Maxims
- The best way to think outside the box is to not create the box in the first place.
- People connect with people, not places.
- People are inherently, naturally and fundamentally mobile.
- What we all call “technology” is—and should always be—the application of science to create products and services that improve the lives of people.
- Customization is the inexorable direction of products and services. Every human is unique, different from every other human.
- The radio frequency spectrum is public property in the United States.
- Ubiquitous and affordable wireless connectivity is essential, especially in education and health care.
- There is an abundance, not a shortage, of spectrum.
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