Basic HTML Version
an interview
with H. Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot was born on June
27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas, the
son of an East Texas horse trader and
cotton broker. He was commissioned
an ensign after graduating from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1953. After
working as a salesman for IBM for
14
five years, Perot founded Electronic
Data Systems Corporation and
became eminently successful.
He has also controlled duPont
Walston, lnc., the second largest
brokerage firm in t he United States.
He expresses his views about life,
success, and society in this
remarkable personal interview.
Q
UESTION -
PLAIN
TRUTH :
How did you get
your start in business?
ANSWER -
PEROT:
1 have no
formal business education. The only
business training I had was in my
father's office as a child from the
time I was 12. My father was a cot–
ton broker. 1 spent a lot of time at
the cow barns and horse auctions,
and I bought livestock as a child,
bought and sold used saddles as a
child, and out of all of that, I think I
received a very fine business education.
Q .
When did you become interested
in the computer business?
PEROT:
Just at the time that 1 was
getting out of the Navy in 1957.
While on an aircraft carrier, I stum–
bled into one of the IBM executives
who was a guest of the Secretary of
the Navy on a two-week cruise. The
captain mentioned to him that I was
being discharged from the Navy,
and he asked me if 1 would Like an
interview with IBM. 1 thought that
IBM just made typewriters. I was
that isolated from the business
world. When 1 went to the inter–
view, they were interviewing only
for jobs
in
the computer division.
O.
That's the first you learned
about computers?
PEROT:
We had tire control com–
puters aboard ship. And l knew all
about those computers, but they were
single purpose computers. IBM com–
puters are general purpose comput–
ers, a different type of machine.
1 began work for IBM and contin–
ued for five years as a salesman un–
ti! 1962, when 1 left IBM to start
EDS. The reason Ileft IBM is that 1
was under-challenged. Because I
was making so mucb money, a local
manager restructured a special com–
mission rate so that I was paid l/5
as much for a sale as the typical
~
salesman. But still, my income got
~
to the leve! where they were con–
á::
cerned, so they basically retired me
and put me in the office. I sat
i
around for five months, couldn' t
~
take it any longer, and left.
~
One reason, 1 think, for my busi-
~~
.::;
ness success was my experience with
IBM. I saw how a big company was
run, something I never saw as a boy.
Fortunately, the one 1 worked for
was beautifuHy run, and I learned a
Iot there. I wouldn' t be where I am
today ifl hadn' t been witb IBM, no
question.
Q.
To wbat would you specificaUy
attribute your success?
PEROT:
I was at the right place, at
the right time, with the rigbt idea,
and - most important - I was for–
tunate to bring in the right men, in
the early days of the company. I've
been uniquely fortunate in being
able to associate myself with sorne
very, very talented people. And I'm
not being modest when I say that.
Andrew Carnegie said: "You take
away my steel milis, take away my
steamships," and he listed all his
holdings, "but leave my men and in
three years I shall have them all
back again." And he's right.
Many people
in
business are not
sensitive to the need for quality in
their people.