This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/technology/tom-perkins-dies.html
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Thomas J. Perkins, Pioneering Venture Capitalist in Silicon Valley, Dies at 84 | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thomas J. Perkins, who nurtured Silicon Valley’s venture capital industry into a force that helped foster the growth of companies like Google and Amazon, died Tuesday night at his home in Tiburon, Calif. He was 84. | Thomas J. Perkins, who nurtured Silicon Valley’s venture capital industry into a force that helped foster the growth of companies like Google and Amazon, died Tuesday night at his home in Tiburon, Calif. He was 84. |
| His death was confirmed by his longtime assistant, who said Mr. Perkins died of natural causes after a prolonged illness. | His death was confirmed by his longtime assistant, who said Mr. Perkins died of natural causes after a prolonged illness. |
| Mr. Perkins was a co--founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1972, at a time when parts of Silicon Valley were still largely fruit orchards. Mr. Perkins and his partners popularized a model of investment that involved putting small amounts of money into promising young start-ups in return for a stake in the companies, giving them advice and counsel to spur their growth. | Mr. Perkins was a co--founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1972, at a time when parts of Silicon Valley were still largely fruit orchards. Mr. Perkins and his partners popularized a model of investment that involved putting small amounts of money into promising young start-ups in return for a stake in the companies, giving them advice and counsel to spur their growth. |
| Some of the investments turned into gigantic hits. Mr. Perkins has said his favorite investment was Genentech, a biotechnology firm that has since been acquired by Roche. Over time, Kleiner Perkins — and its home on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, Calif. — became a destination for other venture capitalists. | Some of the investments turned into gigantic hits. Mr. Perkins has said his favorite investment was Genentech, a biotechnology firm that has since been acquired by Roche. Over time, Kleiner Perkins — and its home on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, Calif. — became a destination for other venture capitalists. |
| Mr. Perkins also helped recruit other venture capitalists such as John Doerr to his firm, leading to investments in a new generation of technology companies including Netscape, AOL, Amazon and later Google. | Mr. Perkins also helped recruit other venture capitalists such as John Doerr to his firm, leading to investments in a new generation of technology companies including Netscape, AOL, Amazon and later Google. |
| Later in his life, Mr. Perkins was embroiled in several controversies, including stepping down from the board of Hewlett-Packard after he said the company had used illegal methods to obtain his phone records. The allegations later led to the resignation of Hewlett-Packard’s chairwoman and an overhaul of the board. | Later in his life, Mr. Perkins was embroiled in several controversies, including stepping down from the board of Hewlett-Packard after he said the company had used illegal methods to obtain his phone records. The allegations later led to the resignation of Hewlett-Packard’s chairwoman and an overhaul of the board. |
| He also publicly broke with Kleiner Perkins in 2014 after writing an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal in which he compared the “progressive war on the 1 percent” to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. The comments created a firestorm and the firm quickly moved to distance itself from Mr. Perkins. | He also publicly broke with Kleiner Perkins in 2014 after writing an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal in which he compared the “progressive war on the 1 percent” to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. The comments created a firestorm and the firm quickly moved to distance itself from Mr. Perkins. |
| In a statement on Thursday, Brook Byers and Frank Caufield, also Kleiner Perkins co-founders, said Mr. Perkins “defined what we know of today as entrepreneurial venture capital by going beyond just funding to helping entrepreneurs realize their visions with operating expertise.” | In a statement on Thursday, Brook Byers and Frank Caufield, also Kleiner Perkins co-founders, said Mr. Perkins “defined what we know of today as entrepreneurial venture capital by going beyond just funding to helping entrepreneurs realize their visions with operating expertise.” |