It was a dark and stormy day; the rain fell in torrents. Here I was with Ron Sege, a one-time President and COO of 3Com, breaking in — perhaps just the tiniest bit prematurely — to two time capsules entrusted to Ron from 1999 and 2009 to celebrate 3Com’s 20 and 30-year anniversaries, respectively.
The time capsules didn’t come with instructions on when to open. So in the spirit of asking for forgiveness rather than permission, Ron and I felt that the approaching 40th anniversary and publishing of 3Com’s story was reason enough to examine the contents. In November 2018, we met at his storage locker over in East Palo Alto and enjoyed poring through the boxes of old and cherished materials while it poured outside.
One of the most notable items we discovered was a 30-year synopsis of the company’s history laid out by 3Com in 2009, and autographed by none other than Bob Metcalfe. Take a look below! Now that we’ve written the book on it, it’s easy to appreciate the perspective of others.
How much does this history differ from the book? You will have to wait to find out!
