When Alex arrived in the United States as a teenager raised in the Soviet Union, he immediately faced disruption. He discovered new freedoms all around him as well as the power of the ultimate equalizer-the Internet. He immediately set out on a life course far different from his upbringing as the son of a high-ranking official in the Russian diplomatic corps. He has been disrupting individuals, cultures, companies, and industries ever since.
His journey started early when he got to know the local hacking community, become involved with Electronic Frontier Foundation, and taught himself as a teenager to master UNIX operating systems and design web pages later using his skills to develop innovative apps and platforms for the digital entertainment industry. He had extended gigs with music pioneers Napster and Liquid Audio. He also adapted innovations to other industries, consulting with IBM Global Services and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
For a while, he was also a partner in a music production and promotion company that produced hundreds of shows coast to coast. Alex is the Senior Director of Innovation Strategy and Programs at Cisco, where he applies his go-getter entrepreneurial spirit to ignite co-innovation among employees, customers, startups, and partners. He oversees companywide innovation programs for all employees in every function, as well as global innovation centers where we co-innovate with our customers.
In the end, for Alex, it's all about turning ideas into solutions that disrupt markets for social and economic good.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
This video originally appeared in TEDx Talks on March 1, 2018