Inventing The Future With Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard - TWMJ #1005

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Oct 12, 2025

Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, engineer and serial entrepreneur known as the 'father of the cable modem,' revolutionized internet access with his work on broadband technologies. He discusses the skepticism he faced while transforming cable technology and highlights his decision to adopt open standards to benefit the industry. Rouzbeh reflects on the moral implications of innovation and emphasizes the importance of accessibility, arguing that broadband should be treated as a human right. His insights into the balance between profit and societal benefit are both timely and thought-provoking.

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ANECDOTE

From Coax To Always-On Home Internet

Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard invented the cable modem to bring data and video over the same coax cable.
He calls the resulting infrastructure "The Accidental Network" because nobody originally believed homes needed internet.

INSIGHT

Always-On Internet Transformed Daily Life

Broadband shifted connectivity from dial-up's temporary sessions to always-on, 24/7 access that freed the phone line.
That constant connectivity enabled remote work, telemedicine, and education during crises like COVID.

ANECDOTE

Winning Skeptics By Field Trials

Facing bankers, cable executives, and academics who dismissed his idea, Yassini-Fard took cable modems to schools, hospitals, and military campuses.
Hands-on trials convinced early adopters who then refused to return the modems after seeing real benefits.

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Welcome to episode #1005 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

Every major leap in human connection starts as a simple question: what if? For Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, that question led to the invention of the cable modem and the birth of broadband internet access as we know it. Often called the “father of the cable modem,” Rouzbeh is a visionary engineer and entrepreneur whose work transformed how billions of people access information. His new book, The Accidental Network, traces the improbable journey from an idea nobody believed in (“why would anyone want the internet at home?”) to the global infrastructure that now powers our economy, culture and daily life. In this conversation, he reflects on the messy, human side of innovation: the skeptics who dismissed broadband, the long nights building hardware that few thought possible, and the radical choice to make his breakthrough technology open-standard so the world could share it. Rouzbeh speaks with humility about how chance, persistence and purpose collided to shape the digital age, and how broadband became not just a business revolution but a social one, connecting homes, hospitals, schools and communities. He also wrestles with the moral dimension of progress, calling for a balance between capitalism and conscience as we enter an era defined by AI, environmental strain and “data as the new oil.” From the early chaos of coaxial cables to the moral complexity of modern networks, Rouzbeh’s story is a reminder that technology’s true purpose isn’t speed or profit... it’s improving the quality of life for everyone it touches. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:00:46.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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Here is my conversation with Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard.
The Accidental Network.
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Chapters:

(00:00) - The Accidental Network: Origins and Vision. (06:00) - The Entrepreneurial Journey: Overcoming Naysayers. (12:07) - From Business Applications to Consumer Connectivity. (17:51) - The Open Standard Gamble: A Strategic Choice. (23:45) - Navigating the Dot Com Boom and Bust. (30:08) - The Rise of Broadband: Transforming the Cable Industry. (30:35) - The Journey of an Entrepreneur. (32:01) - Scaling and Selling the Company. (33:27) - Contributions to the Cable Industry. (36:11) - Philosophy of Innovation and Humanity. (39:11) - Data as a New Resource. (42:13) - Access as a Human Right. (43:26) - The Last Mile Challenge. (46:36) - Future of Connectivity. (50:02) - Centralized vs. Decentralized Networks. (54:07) - Environmental Considerations in Technology. (56:15) - Reflections on a Successful Career.