Robert Stephens
Took the boring world of computer support and made it famous
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- Founder, Geek Squad
- Innovator
- Author
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A native of Chicago, Robert left a scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of Minnesota. While attending the University, he landed a job fixing computers for the Human Factors Research Laboratory. Over a three year period, he rose to become head engineer of the lab while earning scholarships from the U.S. Navy and the FAA building flight and driving simulators. It was also during this time he started a computer consulting business.
In April 1994, after three years at the University, he formed The Geek Squad with $200. In 2002, The Geek Squad acquired by Best Buy and opened Geek Squad precincts in all Best Buy US and Canadian stores. With over 6000 Agents , The Geek Squad is now North America’s largest technology support company offering phone, in-store, and in-home support.
Stephens is the author of The Geek Squad Guide to Solving Any Computer Glitch, released in 1999 by Fireside. In plain English and with a humorous flair, The Geek Squad Guide demystifies the most widely used hardware and software, offers quick fixes to common glitches, and provides smart maintenance advice to keep things running smoothly.
To date, The Geek Squad has serviced over 150,000 computer problems for clients such as 3M, Cargill, General Mills, The Rolling Stones, U2, and The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. The Geek Squad story has been featured in numerous national media including CNN, Newsweek, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, People, Rolling Stone, and InStyle Magazine.
What do you get when you take $200, a crazy idea, and love for all things technical? Learn how Robert Stephens took the boring world of computer support and made it famous. Starring 1 Chief Inspector, 25,000 Double Agents and Geekmobiles, The Rolling Stones, The CIA, The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and over 50,000,000 messed up computers. Don’t miss it.
The best thing ever to happen to Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens is that he had no money when he started his business. He’ll try to convince you that when you lack resources, constraints are the very catalyst that makes you far more creative than your competition.
Why did Facebook pay over $20 Billion for mobile-only text chatting app WhatsApp? How is it that consumers in Asia do most of their banking, food ordering, and taxi hailing in a single app? Why are some predicting that soon we will text businesses instead of calling them? Learn the single trend behind all of these events – and why you should be paying attention.
Before Uber, there was another service that let you push a button, and summon a person to your home or office for service: The Geek Squad.
Robert Stephens, Founder of The Geek Squad (1994), and former CTO of Best Buy will discuss his bet on the biggest trend of the coming decade: The Sharing Economy, also known as Collaborative Consumption. He’ll argue that Groupon, AirBnB, OpenTable, ZipCar, Uber, and many others are all the same type of company and how it will disrupt every business and create new opportunities.
This next decade will witness change 100 times greater than anything we have seen thus far, mainly due to mobile computing and wireless sensors. Every company is in the service business now. Operations are not enough: companies must design experiences if they are going to stand out. Technology and software will be key to building those services. Every company needs a unique brand and culture, especially if it is going to innovate.
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