Kentik

<p>Dave Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, discusses his path in networking and the innovations that have propelled their ISP to success. In this episode Avi and Dave touch on: </p><ul><li>The differences between developing a product and a business</li><li>Focusing on the product and knowing when to pivot to new ideas</li><li>Raising investor money and the dynamics it creates</li><li>The decreasing costs of internet service and Cogent's role in creating affordable access</li><li>How COVID-19 has impacted culture and operations at Cogent</li><li>Hiring practices when looking for early career vs senior employees</li><li>Dave's advice for his younger self</li></ul>

Dave Schaeffer founded Cogent Communications in August 1999 and is the Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr. Schaeffer's leadership, Cogent has become one of the world's largest Internet Providers. Mr. Schaeffer has led the efforts of 13 successful acquisitions, propelling Cogent's originally U.S.-based network into Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. Mr. Schaeffer has successfully founded and operated six other businesses prior to Cogent. These businesses span a wide array of industries from communications to commercial real estate. His diverse background and entrepreneurial successes have enabled him to build management teams that constructed and operate the only facilities-based, non-oversubscribed multinational network of its kind. In 2019, Mr. Schaeffer was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year® in Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications.


Dave Schaeffer

Founder and CEO, Cogent Communications

Dave Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, discusses his path in networking and the innovations that have propelled their ISP to success.


Dave Schaeffer on leadership and operations at Cogent Communications

Network AF Podcast

More From Avi

<p>Network AF is a journey of super-nerd proportions into the world of networking, cloud, and the internet. Avi Freedman, self-described internet plumber and podcast namesake, hosts top network engineering experts from around the world for in-depth, honest, and freewheeling banter on all-things-network — how-tos, best practices, biggest mistakes, war stories, hot takes, rants, and more.</p>

Network AF

Cogent Communications

Episode overview

How Dave got into networking

Dave talks about understanding business opportunities and the difference between developing a product and a business

Thoughts on focusing the product, and knowing when to pivot if investors aren't investing

Raising outside money, the credibility attached to those investments, and getting lucky

Avi and Dave discuss telecom as a business of scale

The decreasing costs of Internet service, and how it relates to wave-division multiplexing and optically interfaced routing

The secret to running lean and effective teams at Cogent: driving down the cost of bits per mile, and standardization 

Cogent's ring architecture offers resiliency and flexibility in preventing backbone outages

Avi and Dave talk about oversubscription in the 90s, and what that scenario would have looked like with COVID-19

How COVID has affected culture and business at Cogent

Wholesale business and "netcentric"

Navigating the reaction to mandatory vaccinations at Cogent

The idea that the internet is a bunch of garage mechanics banging on routers with wrenches

Dave and Avi talk about going into the office and visiting employee spaces

What percentage of Cogent hires are early career, and does Dave weight early or senior career differently?

Dave's advice to his younger self