When I met the Braun brothers in 1955, I had other ideas and wanted to stay with architecture, but I ended up working with them as an architect.

I wanted to be a developer and write code.

I realized I preferred building things over writing papers while I was a grad student, which led me to understand that being a professor wasn't fulfilling for me.

I preferred to recruit builders—people who wanted to be known for what they created rather than what they said, and who were curious about many things. I started as a cartoonist before becoming an engineer, which attracted many early team members who were outsiders to technology.

I decided against attending university because I wanted to build something I care about and believe in, opting instead to learn by doing and joining companies.

The first designs I saw from the school for Braun's radios made me realize I wanted to become a designer instead of pursuing architecture.

I was profoundly impacted by the idea that programming allows you to express huge possibilities, and I felt like I could build anything.

I didn't originally think I would build something great. I wanted to try to build something useful, but I didn't think I would build anything particularly great. Probabilistically, it seemed unlikely, but I wanted to at least try.

After university, I initially felt confined in the family business, so I explored other projects before returning to work on ambitious engineering projects.