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A real winner RealNetworks is the pioneer and reigning leader in the delivery and playback of streaming audio and visual programs on the Internet. The company's RealPlayer transmits programs produced by everyone from the major television networks, to the U.S. Senate, Merrill Lynch, and the National Football League, to millions of web browsers across the world. In 1994, Rob Glaser left Microsoft, where he had been vice president of multimedia and consumer systems, to found RealNetworks. The next year, with the World Wide Web still in its infancy, RealNetworks (then called Progressive Networks) introduced the RealAudio system, which allowed companies to create and deliver continuous audio content through the Internet. With RealAudio, web users could back the content on demand without download delays. RN also has created a system to deliver motion video. Teaming up with the biggies With its RealPlayer multimedia player on 95 million computers, and 85 percent of the streaming media market, the company has teamed up with industry leaders including America Online, Macromedia, Sun Microsystems, and Apple to build a technological standard for the fledgling world of continuous media delivery. RealNetworks has 125 million registered users. In 1999, the company introduced RealJukebox, trumpeted by CEO Robert Glaser as "the biggest breakthrough in music listening since the Walkman." The public agreed ? the product reached one million downloads in 10 days and now counts more than 34 million registered copies. RealJukebox enabled users to play, record, organize, and search for music from a single interface. Users can record CD collections to their hard drives, personalize their collections, and then play them on their PCs or on a portable device. And in June 1999, the company launched RealSlideshow, a product in which users are able to put together photo and audio presentations that can be broadcast over the Internet. Glaser is optimistic about the prospects for RealNetworks' products; the company's early successes, he claims, tapped only 2 to 3 percent of the potential market. Going broad In 2000, RealNetworks improved and broadened the process for downloading the online content that has made the company famous. In January, it purchased Atlanta-based Netzip, a producer of software that speeds up download times, for $268 million in stock. In December, it announced an upgrade in video uplink software that enables producers to send movies over the Internet that rival VCRs in picture quality. Two months later, it inked a deal to deliver broadband streaming media over satellites. The battle lines are drawn But RealNetworks' future isn't entirely picture perfect. It faces a relentless competitor in Microsoft, which has its own multimedia software. In May of 2000, RealNetworks unveiled RealServer8, a streaming technology designed to deliver VHS-quality videos to users computer screens. Microsoft said that everything available in RealServer8 was already a feature of its Windows Media Technologies 7. In a classic example of "he said, she said" RealNetworks responded that "It's a product that's a couple of generations behind us." Clearly, RealNetworks is in a enviable position with rising profits and growing user lists. It remains to be seen, though, how enviable it is to have Microsoft breathing down your back.
A phone call to headquarters will tell you what jobs are available in this rapidly growing company. Real Networks also lists detailed descriptions of openings on its web site (www.real.com), broken down by department. The jobs are surprisingly diverse, ranging from technical writing to managing advertising accounts, so the qualifications also vary. Some positions call for a degree in Computer Science; others demand an MBA. Experience in the computer industry is of course a plus. Many of the key managers at Real Networks once worked for Microsoft; the vice president of marketing was previously a Congresswoman who represented a high tech district. Resumes can be submitted via e-mail.
Without exception, employees say that working for RealNetworks means fairly flexible hours, a casual dress code, and excellent opportunities for women and minorities. One employee, however said that "despite the company's flexibility, the hours number about 60 a week." Despite formidable job descriptions on the company web site, the average employee age is young, including many recent grads and interns. Pay is competitive with other companies in the area. The company culture is described as exciting and energetic, and the employees as especially bright and independent. "We have people here working from all over the world," emphasizes one insider. If you manage to land a job with RealNetworks, you'll have a leg up in the computer industry. "The company's name and reputation are so widely known that if you came here, you would be picked up faster than the same person who only worked at Microsoft," another insider explained.
Karen Schlemmer Human Resources
Cisco Systems;Macromedia;Microsoft;Motorola;Oracle More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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