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'''Jay Scott Walker''' (born November 5, 1955) is an [[United States|American]] [[inventor]], [[entrepreneur]] and chairman of [[Walker Digital]], a privately held research and development lab focused on using digital networks to create new business systems. Best known as the founder of [[Priceline.com]], Walker has launched and led several successful entrepreneurial ventures and startup companies that today serve more than 75 million customers<ref>[http://www.walkerdigital.com/about_jw.htm Walkerdigital.com About Jay Walker page]</ref> in 15 different industries.
'''Jay Scott Walker''' (born November 5, 1955) is an [[United States|American]] [[inventor]], [[entrepreneur]] and chairman of [[Walker Digital]], a privately held research and development lab focused on using digital networks to create new business systems. Best known as the founder of [[Priceline.com]], Walker has launched and led several {{which}} successful entrepreneurial ventures and startup companies that today serve more than 75 million customers<ref>[http://www.walkerdigital.com/about_jw.htm Walkerdigital.com About Jay Walker page]</ref> {{failed verification|talk=This version by Jay Walker himself}} in 15 different industries.


Walker is named on more than 450<ref>[http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=In%2F%28%22Walker%2C+Jay%22+or+%22jay%2C+walker%22%29+and+apt%2F1&d=PTXT USPTO Utility Patent Search for Jay Walker]</ref> issued and pending [[U.S. Patent|U.S.]] and international patents, making him one of the most [[Prolific inventors|prolific individual living inventors]].
Walker is named on more than 450<ref>[http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=In%2F%28%22Walker%2C+Jay%22+or+%22jay%2C+walker%22%29+and+apt%2F1&d=PTXT USPTO Utility Patent Search for Jay Walker]</ref> issued and pending [[U.S. Patent|U.S.]] and international patents, making him one of the most [[Prolific inventors|prolific individual living inventors]].

Revision as of 19:59, 14 April 2011

Jay S. Walker
Born (1955-11-05) November 5, 1955 (age 69)
Forest Hills, Queens, New York
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University (graduated 1978)
OccupationChairman of Walker Digital
SpouseEileen Walker (m. 1978 - present)
Children2
Websitewww.walkerdigital.com

Jay Scott Walker (born November 5, 1955) is an American inventor, entrepreneur and chairman of Walker Digital, a privately held research and development lab focused on using digital networks to create new business systems. Best known as the founder of Priceline.com, Walker has launched and led several [which?] successful entrepreneurial ventures and startup companies that today serve more than 75 million customers[1] [failed verification – see discussion] in 15 different industries.

Walker is named on more than 450[2] issued and pending U.S. and international patents, making him one of the most prolific individual living inventors.

Time magazine twice named Walker one of the TIME Digital 50[3] and said he was one of the 50 most influential “people shaping technology today." Newsweek cited him as one of three executives at the forefront of the Internet commerce revolution.

A Forbes cover story profile of Walker called him the "New Age Edison".[4] Businessweek featured him on its cover as one of the "Businessweek e.biz 25",[5] terming him one of the Internet pioneers most responsible for "changing the competitive landscape of almost every industry in the world".[5]

Walker Digital is a privately-held "innovation and development" lab founded in 1994 and based in Stamford, Connecticut. Since its founding, Walker Digital has funded an R&D budget well in excess of US$100 million.[6] The company specializes in creating applications that work with large-scale networks such as cell phones and the Internet. Walker and/or Walker Digital often partners with Fortune 500 firms such as Time Warner and International Game Technology (IGT) to bring its inventions to market, or licenses other companies to do so.

Early life

Walker began his entrepreneurial career at age 9 by launching his own newspaper. He attended Cornell University where he majored in industrial relations.

Walker took a year off from his studies to start and run a weekly newspaper, the Midweek Observer, in Ithaca, New York which was initially successful. Walker returned to the university, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society and the Sigma Phi Society. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1978.

Business career

Transforming Federal Express

After a four-year stint with Folio, the trade magazine for the magazine publishing industry, Walker launched Catalog Media Corp.[7]

In 1987 Walker and Catalog Media were instrumental in the transformation of Federal Express from a business-to-business enterprise for weekday document delivery to a consumer-facing business that delivers packages 364 days a year.[8] For this achievement, Federal Express Chairman Fred Smith inducted Walker into the Federal Express Hall of Fame.

Synapse

In 1992 Walker and Michael Loeb[9] co-founded New Sub Services, today known as Synapse Group, a company that used the credit card network to process magazine subscriptions. Synapse sells magazine subscriptions chiefly through marketing relationships with credit card issuers, consumer catalog companies, airlines with frequent flier programs, retailers and Internet businesses.[10]

Walker served as the company’s marketing leader and created a customer database of 25 million active buyers.[11] By 1998 Synapse had sold 30 million magazine subscriptions, with sales approaching $300 million.[12] For his work, Walker won the Direct Marketing Association’s "Direct Marketer of the Year" award in 1999.[13]

Synapse grew to become the largest seller of consumer magazine subscriptions in the U.S., leveraging its "continuous service" model to fundamentally change the business of periodicals sales and renewals.[9] In 1999, Walker Digital was awarded a patent,[11] which it assigned to Synapse, for this "continuous service" magazine subscription model.

In 2004, and again in 2005, Synapse was named one of the 25 "Best Places to Work in America"[11] among medium-sized companies by the Great Place to Work Institute. As of 2011 Synapse employs more than 250 people.[11]

In 2001 Time Warner purchased a controlling stake in Synapse for a sum in excess of $500 million, completing the transaction in 2006.[9]

Priceline

Main article: Priceline.com

Walker Digital launched Priceline.com in 1998, partially self-funding the startup company. Additional funds came from investors[12] including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, financier George Soros, Lotus Development Corp. CEO Jim Manzi; and cable TV magnate John C. Malone.

Priceline caught public attention with its "name your own price" advertising campaign, using actor William Shatner as its celebrity spokesman: users agree in advance to purchase a service or product “blind”—without knowing precisely which provider would supply the product or service. They might be required to be flexible about travel dates and times, airports and cities.

Sellers could remain anonymous while using the system, to move inventory at discounted prices without appearing to break their publicly-advertised price structure. Consumers do not learn from which company they have purchased until after the sale is completed.

Priceline sold an estimated 40,000 tickets in its first quarter of operation.[12] In 1999, Priceline went public.[12] Walker left Priceline in late 2000 to focus on new ventures with Walker Digital.

U.S. HomeGuard

In 2003 Walker Digital devised an Internet–based surveillance system called U.S. HomeGuard. The basic concept was to hire 1 million work-at-home employees who would log in over the Internet to provide constant surveillance of image feeds from some 47,000 security cameras. These webcams would be installed nationwide at security-sensitive sites including border crossings, water reservoirs, chemical plants, nuclear power generators, airports, etc. Observers would report any suspicious activity to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security within 30 seconds. Wired magazine called the idea "intriguing".[14]

The Atlantic reported that Walker Digital invested several million dollars developing a prototype, offering the sell the system to the U.S. government for $1. Estimating that a test would cost $40 million, Walker said he was prepared to raise private funds for this purpose. On the recommendation of then-Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Walker held numerous meetings with White House and DHS officials but the U.S. declined to go forward with the project.[15]

In 2006 CNNMoney[16] cited U.S. HomeGuard as the inspiration for a similar public-private partnership when Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced plans for a webcam-based "virtual border patrol". By late 2008 the result was Texas Virtual Border Watch (www.texasborderwatch.com). In its first four months, the program experienced technical challenges and political controversy; its 43,000 "virtual deputies" were credited with four drug busts and with preventing 30 illegal immigrant crossings.[17]

QuickStore 24

In 2003 Walker Digital began patenting inventions in the vending machine field with the goal of revolutionizing the vending industry through enabling smart vending technology.

In 2007 Walker Digital exclusively licensed the patents for these innovations to Vendmore Systems, which launched its smart-technology-enabled platform in 2007 under the name QuickStore24TM.

Partnership with IGT

In 2006 Walker Digital entered into a strategic partnership with International Game Technology (IGT), the world’s largest manufacturer of casino games.[18] He worked with IGT to develop innovative concepts and technologies for dozens of networked slot machines and other gaming devices, initially under a comprehensive license agreement.

The first result of the partnership was Guaranteed Play,[19] a new method for casino game players to purchase game play. Customers receive a fixed number of slot machine spins or blackjack hands, known as a "session" of play, at a discounted price, by paying in advance. Guaranteed Play has enjoyed a limited but successful introduction at such casinos as the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2010 Walker Digital sold approximately 100 patents to IGT, concluding the partnership.

Perfect Pay Baccarat

In 2009 Walker Digital subsidiary Walker Digital Gaming introduced the Perfect Pay baccarat table and Smart Table Network, supporting Elite Baccarat.[20] Industry business journals reported that Perfect Pay utilizes RFID technology to track baccarat wagers, hand outcomes, payouts and player ratings in real time while eliminating losses from dealer mis-pays, counterfeit chips and other problems.[21]

Perfect Pay and Elite Baccarat both won Gold Awards from Casino Journal at the 2009 Gaming Technology Summit.[22]

Genting Berhad, the Malaysia-based owner and operator of the world’s largest casino, the Genting Highlands, has ordered 100 Perfect Pay tables for that facility.

Yappr

In 2009 Walker Digital and its partners launched a free website for English-language learning, yappr.com which provides non-English-speakers with a way to learn or improve their English. Viewers watch and listen to short film clips with soundtracks in English. Two sets of simultaneous subtitles are provided, one in English and one in the viewer’s language.

Other activities

Jay Walker is a board member of several organizations that promote innovative solutions to the world’s problems, including:

  • The Atlantic Council, with stated aim to foster constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century.
  • World Information Transfer, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in General Consultative Status with the United Nations. WIT works for environmental health and literacy. Walker has spoken to WIT events numerous times on health and environmental issues.[24][25]

Walker is a Patron of TED, a small non-profit organisation dedicated to "Ideas Worth Spreading". He is a frequent speaker and contributor to its conferences, having delivered talks on such topics as human imagination[26] and "English language mania",[27] among others.

For many years Walker has been involved with the Young Presidents' Organization. YPO’s core mission is to develop "Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange".

Walker has partnered with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to develop enhanced communications systems between business and governments.

He has testified[28] before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee on economic policy and on how to reform the patent system. He is widely sought as a speaker by business groups, non-profit organisations and the academic community.

Walker funded the development of two public policy documentary films about the space race and the role of science in American life. The first film focused on the impact of Sputnik on America’s education system. The second film, "Sputnik Mania",[29] explored broader U.S. cultural reactions to Sputnik.

The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination

Walker is the founder and proprietor of The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination.[30] Located in his Ridgefield, Connecticut home, the 3,600 sq. ft. facility contains more than 50,000 volumes including thousands of landmark books and museum-level artifacts. The architecture of the Walker Library is a multi-level, maze-like setting, inspired in part by the paradoxical spaces depicted by artist M.C. Escher.

The Walker Library is the subject of a short documentary film[30] by David Hoffman, and was profiled as "the most amazing library in the world" by Wired magazine.[31] Walker, who refers to himself as the Library’s “curator,” has spoken about its theme and displayed some of its contents at the annual TED conference in Long Beach, California.[32] The Walker Library has hosted numerous world leaders from business, government, science, medicine, the arts and education.

Honors and awards

In 1998 Ernst & Young named Walker its "Master Entrepreneur of the Year, New York Metropolitan Region".

In 1999 the Direct Marketing Association named Walker its “Direct Marketer of the Year”[33] and the Industry Standard named him the year's "Most Influential New Business Strategist".[12]

In 2009 the Entrepreneurship Program at his alma mater honored Walker as the "Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year".[34]

Patent lawsuits and disputes

After years of attempting to negotiate license agreements with respect to various patents included in the Walker Digital patents portfolio, in 2009 Walker Digital, LLC filed its first patent infringement action.[35]

In November 2010 Walker Digital LLC sued Facebook for friending, or "Method and system for establishing and maintaining user-controlled anonymous communications". The company holds 500 patents.[36]

On April 11, 2011 Walker Digital filed 15 lawsuits against more than 100 defendants including Amazon, Google and Microsoft for unauthorized use of its intellectual properties.[37]

Personal life

Walker married Eileen McManus on April 18, 1982. They have two children. Eileen Walker is a trustee for Cornell University, Vice Chairman of the Harvey School in Westchester County, New York and a former personnel executive at IBM.

Jay Walker is a licensed pilot.

References

  1. ^ Walkerdigital.com About Jay Walker page
  2. ^ USPTO Utility Patent Search for Jay Walker
  3. ^ Brady, Diane. "Jay Walker: The Priceline Mogul Races for New Markets". Business Week e.biz. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  4. ^ Machan, Dyan (5/17/1999). "Jay Walker, a new Edison". Forbes. pp. 20–21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b Hamm, Steve (9/27/1999). "Masters of the Web Universe". Business Week. pp. EB30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Walkerdigital.com About Us page
  7. ^ Quittner, Joshua (9/29/1999). "TIME Digital 50". Time. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "TIME Digital Cyber Elite Top 50". Time. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Michael Loeb, www.lobeenterprises.com, retrieved 03-15-11.
  10. ^ SEC Form 10-K, 2008 Time Warner Inc. Annual Report
  11. ^ a b c d "About Synapse," http://www.synapsegroupinc.com/, retrieved 03-15-11.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Walker, Jay Scott". www.novelguide.com. 2002.
  13. ^ “DMA Names Microsoft-MSN 2007 Marketer of the Year/ Past DMA Marketers of the Year,” Direct Marketers Association, 10/16/2007
  14. ^ Scanlon, Jesse (11/6/2003). "Fighting Terror with Webcams". Wired. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Rauch, Jonathan (April 4, 2001). "How the Government Let Down Its Guard". The Atlantic.
  16. ^ Ryan, Oliver (6/2/2006). "Live From the Mexican Border". money.cnn.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Burnett, John (2/23/2009). "A New Way To Patrol The Texas Border: Virtually". www.npr.org. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "About IGT". igt.com. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  19. ^ "IGT Booth Represents 'The Right Vision – Right Now and for the Future' at 2007 Global Gaming Expo". igt.com. 10/29/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Perfect Pay from Walker Digital Gaming, www.elitebacc.com
  21. ^ "Perfect Timing: Walker Digital's Perfect Pay Baccarat is a game changer for casinos without changing the game". Inside Asian Gaming. 8/11/2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Green, Marian (5/1/2010). "Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products of 2009". Casino Journal. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ The Preventative Medicine Research Institute
  24. ^ Walker, Jay (Summer/Fall 2010). "The Climate We Deserve" (PDF). World Ecology Report. XXII (2/3). World Information Transfer: 24–28. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ World Information Transfer, Inc.
  26. ^ Walker, Jay (2/2008). "Jay Walker's Library of Human Imagination". TED Conference 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Walker, Jay (5/29/2009). "Jay Walker on the World's English Mania". youtube.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ Betts, Mitch (6/12/2000). "Hi-Tech Chiefs Lobby Key Issues at Capitol Hill Hearing". Computer World. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Hoffman, David (4/2008). "David Hoffman shares his Sputnik mania". TED Conference 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ a b The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination
  31. ^ "Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library" from Wired
  32. ^ Walker, Jay (2/2008). "Jay Walker's Library of Human Imagination". TED Conference 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ “DMA Names Microsoft-MSN 2007 Marketer of the Year/ Past DMA Marketers of the Year,” Direct Marketers Association, 10/16/2007
  34. ^ Hovis, Kathy (1/26/2009). "Jay Walker Named 2009 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year". Cornell University Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Walker Digital Sues Multi-State Lottery Association for Patent Infringement". Indiana Intellectual Property Lawyer Blog. 9/17/2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Mullin, Joe (2010-12-01). "Priceline Founder Jay Walker Now Files Patent Suits For A Living". Paid Content.
  37. ^ Saba, Jennifer (4-12-2011). "Company behind Priceline sues Internet heavies". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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