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Founded in 1990 as a maker of data analysis tools, Spyglass has already evolved several times in its relatively short history. This Illinois-based firm was started by University of Illinois grad Tim Krauskopf and others to commercialize university technology. They hired software exec Doug Colbeth in 1991 to raise venture capital. During the years 1990 through 1994, the company focused on developing data visualization products. These were directed toward the scientific market. In 1994, over the course of a weekend, the leaders of Spyglass decided to reinvent their company to serve the Internet. Its first new product was Mosaic, the first commercial Web browser. Over the next few years, about 80 companies licensed Mosaic; in 1994, Microsoft licensed Mosaic as the base technology for its Internet Explorer. Spyglass went public in 1995, one of most successful IPOs of that year. Stock climbed from $17 a share at the inception of Mosaic to $56 by the end of 1995. But by 1996, Netscape and Microsoft were competing to control the Web browser business by releasing free browsers, and Spyglass was losing ground. By the end of 1997, stock had plummetted to $4. That same year, the slumping Spyglass sold its Mosaic license to Microsoft and was forced to close down an Illinois facility and lay off 10% of its workforce. Spyglass had to reinvent itself yet again. This time it turned its attention to developing Internet software for anything but PCs. The company acquired AllPen Software (which specialized in non-PC software) and began to look for new roads to profitability. It seems to be working: revenues are up. Although Spyglass is still losing money, it is expected to rise again, due to its extensive knowledge of the Internet and its improving financial situation. Today, customers include giants like 3Com, Apple, Disney, DaimlerChrysler, Philips, and Sony. Spyglass has made recent product deals with the likes of Nokia, NEC, Thomson Electronics, and Xerox. In fact, Nokia chose Spyglass over Microsoft and Sun to create the HTML engine in its new set-top box. A June 1998 alliance with Lucent Technologies means that Lucent will market Spyglass's Prism software. The two are joining on a project to increase wireless phone use by making it easier for people to access resources. Imagine being able to find the nearest pizzeria or movie theatre where Ronin is playing using your cell phone from the car! Spyglass stresses solutions and is a leading provider of expertise, software and services for making devices work with the Web. It aims itself at the following markets: cable and satellite TV, telecommunications, office equipment, wireless, automotive, and industrial. It also provides consulting and engineering services. Spyglass is comprised of four business units: Cambridge, MA; Los Gatos, CA (formerly AllPen); Naperville, IL; and SurfWatch, acquired in 1996, which delivers content management solutions to home, corporate, and education venues. Spyglass is optimistic that people will continue to access the Internet and not necessarily from PCs, and cites a statistic projected by IDC Corporation, that by 2002, over 100 million non-PC devices will be connected to the Internet. That's a lot of cell phones! Wow! You're attractive As a result of its major partnerships with both high tech companies and telecom providers, Spyglass was an attractive buy for OpenTV, a company which hopes to use Spyglass technology to help its interactive TV pursuits. Spyglass will operate under the OpenTV name. OpenTV has agreed to buy Spyglass for $2.5 billion in a deal which is expected to close late in 2000. OpenTV will use Spyglass technology not only in its TV boxes, but also to provide internet services to wireless applications and technologies. For a company that underwent more changes than Madonna, Spyglass has found the formula for success, to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Employees say that "the recruitment process relies heavily on internal referrals" Jobs are available in Illinois, Massachusetts and in 2 California offices. Pick your city. Naperville, Illinois: snail mail - Attn: Recruitment, Spyglass, Inc., 1240 East Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563 fax - (630) 505-4944 e-mail - jobs@spyglass.com (please e-mail in plain ASCII format) Cambridge, MA: snail mail - Attn: Recruitment, Spyglass, Inc., One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142 fax - (800) 647-2217 e-mail - jobs cm@spyglass.com (please e-mail in plain ASCII format) Los Gatos, CA: snail mail - 16795 Lark Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032 fax - (408) 399-4395 e-mail - jobs lg@spyglass.com Los Altos, CA: snail mail - Attn: Recruitment, Spyglass, Inc., 175 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022 fax - (650) 948-9577 e-mail - jobs_la@spyglass.com (please e-mail in plain ASCII format) For the latest listings, you can visit the SurfWatch Jobs page General info: www.spyglass.com, click on jobs
Rubbing shoulders with the CEO What do employees say about working at Spyglass? It is an "excellent place to work." "The culture is pretty much technical 'pioneers.'" When asked, many employees said something about egalitarianism. "We rub shoulders with everyone up to and including our CEO." Spyglass is "committed to diversity; as a matter of fact, several of our senior executives are women and/or minorities." Others say that the "treatment of everyone is fair and equitable," and that the company consists of "solid people, top to bottom. No discrimination." Overall, employees interviewed feel that "we are definitely culturally diverse and value each other's contributions." Some jobs require longer hours but "work hours are loose, although we are expected to work approximately 40 hours (for full-time people.)" Many workers note that there is "no dress code (clothes are required.)" As one employee puts it, "we focus on the work we are doing, not how we look doing it." Regarding the job description, one employee noted, "we're dealing with some hot technologies and interesting customer projects which are defining the whole internet-enabled device space." High energy culture Employees say that "the culture is high energy with a start-up mentality." Some feel that you need to "be more assertive in a fast-paced environment" than in a different kind of workplace. While one employee says "I enjoy the fast pace, the freedom to innovate, the lack of strictly defined roles," another notes, "I know of at least one person who left Spyglass because she never felt comfortable without having her tasks fully specified." An employee says, "the pay is also good, the best part being stock options, which allow you to share in the success of the company." Other perks include "free soda & juice, good internet access, decent benefits (and an HR department looking to improve them - rather than to trim them.)" Employees say that "the company is small and geographically dispersed." Downsides mentioned include the fact that "since we are working in such an immature industry, the risk factor is much higher." The company has "had to change directions more than once."
Susan L. Kizman Human Resources More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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