In the early 2010s, the Internet of Things was a concept that most corporate boardrooms treated with polite skepticism. Connected refrigerators and smart thermostats made for good conference keynotes, but few executives were willing to commit serious organizational resources to a market that hadn’t yet materialized.
Glenn Lurie was one of the exceptions.
While serving as President and CEO of AT&T Mobility, Lurie made the decision to build out AT&T’s IoT division at a time when the infrastructure, the business models, and even the vocabulary around connected devices were still being invented. He saw what others missed: that the same cellular networks carrying voice calls and text messages could become the backbone of an entirely new category of connected products, and that the carrier sitting at the center of that ecosystem would be extraordinarily well positioned.
The bet paid off. AT&T’s IoT division became one of the most significant in the industry, providing connectivity for everything from connected cars to industrial sensors to medical devices. The foundation Lurie helped build is now a meaningful part of how the modern connected world operates.
That instinct for early-stage technology bets has defined his career from beginning to end. Today, as General Partner at Stormbreaker Ventures, he applies the same forward-looking lens to early-stage startups as he did during the Glenn Lurie Synchronoss era.
The IoT revolution didn’t arrive the way the conference circuit predicted. But the executives who prepared for it anyway — quietly, deliberately, and early — are the ones who shaped what it became.