Abstract:
Data Domain, Inc. is an example of successful Silicon Valley startup with
disruptive technologies during the past decade.  The company started in 2001
with the mission to create and deploy deduplication storage products to
replace tapes in data centers.  The company went public in 2007 and acquired
by EMC Corporation in 2009.  In 2010, the revenue of Data Domain product
line exceeded the tape automation market. Last year,  its revenue reached
~$2B with ~77% gross margin.

How was Data Domain created?  What makes Data Domain successful?  In this
talk, I will use my own experience to answer these two questions and also
present my views on the creation of disruptive innovations,  the
relationship between academic research and innovation, and why most large
companies are incapable of disruptive innovations.

Short bio:
Kai Li is a Paul M. Wythes '55, P'86 and Marcia R. Wythes P'86 Professor at
Princeton University, where he worked as a faculty member since 1986. Before
joining Princeton University, he received his Ph.D. degree from Yale
University. His research expertise is in building parallel and distributed
systems, deduplication storage systems, and data analysis and search for
large datasets. He co-founded Data Domain, Inc. in 2001, serving in roles as
the initial CEO, CTO and Consulting Chief Scientist. He is a Member of the
National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the ACM, and a Fellow of the
IEEE.