Ram Shriram Quotes

Powerful Ram Shriram for Daily Growth

About Ram Shriram

Ram Shriram, an eminent American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, was born in India but has made significant contributions to the tech industry in the United States. He was born on December 15, 1961, in Chennai, India, and moved to the U.S. at the age of 18 to attend Stanford University. Shriram's academic journey at Stanford culminated in a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering. His time at Stanford not only equipped him with technical skills but also exposed him to the burgeoning Silicon Valley, fostering his entrepreneurial spirit. In 1989, Shriram co-founded Inkra Corporation, one of the earliest makers of Ethernet switches, which was later acquired by Cisco Systems in 1993. This experience laid the foundation for his venture capital career. Shriram joined Google as its first legal counsel and fourth employee in 2001. During his tenure at Google, he played a crucial role in the company's IPO process. Post-IPO, Shriram continued to serve on the board until 2012, helping guide Google through its evolution into Alphabet Inc. In 1999, Shriram co-founded Sherpalo Ventures with Tom Mika, focusing on early-stage investments in consumer internet and software companies. Some of their notable investments include Roku, BuzzFeed, and TuneIn. Shriram is also known for his philanthropic efforts, serving as a trustee at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and as a board member at several non-profit organizations. His life and career are marked by an unwavering commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and giving back to the community.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Don't wait for perfect conditions. Just start and learn as you go."

This quote by Ram Shriram emphasizes the importance of action over inaction, especially when circumstances are less than ideal. It encourages individuals to begin projects or initiatives even without having all the necessary knowledge or resources at their disposal. The underlying message is that learning and growth often occur through experience, rather than waiting for a perfect moment or situation. Instead, starting a venture and progressing while learning from mistakes and successes along the way is a more effective strategy.


"Success isn't about how much money you make; it's about the difference you make in people's lives."

This quote emphasizes that success is not merely about accumulating wealth, but rather about positively impacting the lives of others. In essence, it suggests that the true measure of achievement lies in the difference one makes in the world, whether through acts of kindness, innovation, leadership, or any other means that uplift and empower people. It encourages us to prioritize our contributions to society over material gains, underscoring that a fulfilling life is one where we make a significant impact on those around us.


"The key to success is not in multiplying money but in multiplying value."

This quote emphasizes that the true path to success lies not solely in acquiring wealth, but rather in creating and adding value, both to oneself and others. It suggests that by focusing on providing valuable services, products, or ideas, one can achieve lasting success because value is something that resonates with people, fosters trust, and encourages repeat business. In essence, the quote underscores that genuine success stems from contributing positively and significantly to the world around us.


"If you want to change the world, start by making your bed."

This quote by Ram Shriram emphasizes the importance of discipline, orderliness, and taking responsibility for one's actions – even in small tasks – as a foundation for achieving greater goals. By starting each day with an organized and well-made bed, one sets a routine and demonstrates dedication to detail. This simple act fosters a mindset that carries over into other aspects of life, encouraging consistency, focus, and the ability to take on larger challenges with confidence. Ultimately, such habits can lead to a significant impact or "changing the world," as Shriram suggests. The quote is a reminder that every action, no matter how small, can contribute to personal growth and global change if approached with diligence and a commitment to excellence.


"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea."

The quote emphasizes that innovation often arises spontaneously through casual interactions between individuals, whether it's a chance encounter in a hallway or an impromptu phone call. This suggests the importance of fostering a collaborative work environment where ideas can be easily shared, discussed, and built upon at any time. It underscores that innovation is not solely the product of structured brainstorming sessions but also the byproduct of organic relationships and open communication among team members.


I've trained my people in mentoring entrepreneurs and made myself obsolete.

- Ram Shriram

Made, Trained, Entrepreneurs, Obsolete

You want to do a few things really well because you want to come out with a product that is fully baked, even though it may be lacking in a few features or whatever, rather than the one that's all-achieving but not doing anything too well.

- Ram Shriram

Doing, Out, Rather, Lacking

There are still some pieces that aren't being used, like the white-space bands between TV channels. With digital broadcasting, those buffers aren't needed anymore. The wireless telcos want to lease them, while the TV industry wants to maintain the status quo. Either decision would be a mistake.

- Ram Shriram

Some, Needed, TV, Status Quo

I ended up working in Michigan for a young company called Sycor out of Michigan, worked there, and that company got bought by Northern Telecom. We became the Bell Northern Research Labs of Northern Telecom.

- Ram Shriram

Young, Michigan, Became, Bell

I've been fortunate to work with some really smart people. Larry Page is an extremely smart guy, most probably one of the smartest people I've worked with.

- Ram Shriram

Work, Some, Been, Larry

I have lived the life of the entrepreneur, and so I know the pain they are feeling. I know the daily ups and downs they go through. You know, they have their highs and lows sometimes within a matter of hours in a day.

- Ram Shriram

Pain, Through, Hours, Ups

If America wants to lead the world, it needs to make sure new ideas can get to market. More opportunity will birth more companies that create more jobs.

- Ram Shriram

New, Needs, Sure, New Ideas

You learn that different people are made differently, and they have different ways to reach to their goals. Some people reach their limits of what they can produce and create, and that doesn't necessarily make them bad. It is just that they may not be right for that role in that instance.

- Ram Shriram

Some, Role, Instance, Goals

All the social things the consumer has gotten used to are being applied to business.

- Ram Shriram

Business, Social, Gotten, Consumer

There are times I think it might be nice to have deep-pocketed limited partners to provide me with some cushion. But I enjoy having no responsibilities except to myself, financially.

- Ram Shriram

Think, Some, I Think, Financially

No country should waste wireless spectrum. Especially not India, where the cellphone has become the personal computer.

- Ram Shriram

Personal, Country, Waste, Wireless

My mother has been my mentor in my life. The number one attribute was discipline. To be on time to school, never miss a day at school, and then checking out homework and making sure I was doing it correctly and signing me up for lots of activities, extra tests and classes.

- Ram Shriram

My Life, Been, Checking, Extra

I've got to let the people who are in the business run the business. I can help them think through their decisions about products, about partners, about hiring. But in the end, the decisions are theirs, and so is the responsibility.

- Ram Shriram

Business, Think, Through, In The End

In the U.S.A., technical innovations come out of universities and the research produced by Ph.D. students. We don't have that happening in India.

- Ram Shriram

Students, Come, Technical, Produced

Zoomin is a hybrid model. The management and founding team is the one with half.com.

- Ram Shriram

Management, Model, Hybrid, Founding

I remember when AOL was small and they were growing like mad. Consumers were coming on in droves because they made it easy to connect to the Internet. That was the single biggest innovation of AOL; when grandmas were signing up, AOL had arrived.

- Ram Shriram

Small, I Remember, Had, AOL

Life is fleeting, and permanence in this world is something we all strive for. The best way to achieve permanence is through philanthropy.

- Ram Shriram

Fleeting, Through, Best Way, Philanthropy

Stay externally focused - on your customers - and focus internally when you have to hire.

- Ram Shriram

Focus, Hire, Focused, Customers

You can't just tell your team, 'Think long term.' It doesn't work that way. When you are starting out, you have to always think about trying to build something of value for the customer: something they can use all the time, something of use.

- Ram Shriram

Tell, Use, About, Long Term

When you've dealt with real-life issues, dealing with business issues is not that hard.

- Ram Shriram

Business, Dealing, Dealt, Real-Life

I had an ethnic preference, if you will, for the warm weather, coming from Chennai. So I finally said, 'Look, can I move to California?' because every time I come here, it would be in the 70s or 80s, and there would be beautiful blue sky and warm.

- Ram Shriram

Beautiful, Here, Had, Blue Sky

My focus is mainly on education. I believe education made all the difference for me, and it is certainly going to make all the difference for other children, too.

- Ram Shriram

Education, Other, Certainly, All The Difference

There's almost too much venture capital in India - there are issues with seed capital, but for venture capital, there's a lot money chasing deals here.

- Ram Shriram

Seed, Here, Capital, Deals

Basically, I left Northern Telecom after 7.5 years of being in one company after school. And then, I ended up in a series of start-ups. The first of those was a company called Sitech, and they were in local area networks.

- Ram Shriram

Years, Networks, Northern, Telecom

Young Indians are energetic and ambitious, have lots of ideas. They work around the difficult situation they face here. But the big challenge is to market products and services to the West, because costs there aren't coming down.

- Ram Shriram

Big, Here, Big Challenge, Indians

I guess the most seminal moment going early way back was my father died when I was 3 years old. I was raised by my grandparents, and my mother went back and got a degree.

- Ram Shriram

Grandparents, Old, Going, I Was Raised

My only loyalty is to what's best for business, not to any set of constituents.

- Ram Shriram

Business, Only, Set, Loyalty

I think, ultimately, open always wins out. It wins out because you cannot lock data in; you can't lock people in. They will find a way out.

- Ram Shriram

Think, Always, Wins, Lock

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