Sam Ramji

As you have already figured out, the name of the blog is in honor of Richard Feynman, my personal hero. Physics has the same basic means of inquiry that we need to use in business and has rich metaphors for thinking about markets. New markets are baby universes - they are born, expand, merge, and collapse. Exploring the physics of these phenomena means asking dumb questions and being prepared to be surprised by the answers - and applying this to the multiverse of software startups is what this blog is all about.

I've been in five startups all told, and I now work for Microsoft. I originally joined the Dan'l Lewin's Emerging Business Team in Silicon Valley, focused on VCs and VC-backed startups. In February 2006 I moved to the Platform Strategy team where I am Director of Open Source Technology Strategy and runn the Open Source Software Lab.

Before joining Microsoft in November 2004, I worked at BEA Systems in the WebLogic Integration product unit as Director of Market Development, focused on technical market strategy under Chet Kapoor and Dave Hinman. Our team grew revenue for WLI from $20M to $100M in 2 years, and from a Gartner Magic Quadrant "Niche Player" to "Leader". Before that I was Director of Engineering at Ofoto before, during, and briefly after the Kodak acquisition. Various less successful startups prior to that.

I had the extraordinary opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants at UCSD, where I got my BS in Cognitive Science (AI meets Neurobiology) - Pat Churchland, Don Norman, Edwin Hutchins, and other greats taught there... a truly amazing experience that has shaped much of how I think today.

In real life I'm an avid husband, father of two, mountain biker, guitarist and food-eater - I appreciate everything from the humble burger to the rare sea-urchin sushi. I live with my wife and children in Seattle, WA - colder than California but closer to the mountains and alpine forests.