dialogue

A RENAISSANCE MAN AT GOOGLE

MATTHEW STEPKA, JD (CIT '88, WRC '88), may be the ultimate modern-day Renaissance man—artist, musician, outdoorsman and, by day, vice president of special projects at Google Inc., where he gets to "play" with robots. An eight-year Google veteran, Stepka previously directed the company's social impact efforts globally, from expanding Internet access to remote regions of Africa to investing in the development of renewable energy. After completing Bachelor of Science degrees in computer engineering and management at Case Western Reserve, he added a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then worked as a management consultant. He also co-founded CyberJava in Los Angeles, one of the first Internet cafes, and, for more than a decade, lived on a docked sailboat. The suburban Cleveland native and third-generation university alumnus enjoys spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge from his San Francisco condo.

What brought you to Case Western Reserve?

I only applied to Case Western Reserve, and I'm glad I got in because it would have been a problem if I hadn't. The reason why is my father [Francis Stepka (GRS '51, mechanical engineering)] and my grandfather [Victor Black (DEN '27)] went there, and the university, to me, was the place to go. I had no backup plans. I almost didn't go to college. I had a job offer, which I didn't end up taking.

What was it?

I forgot the name, but it was a software company in Silicon Valley. I was a programmer in high school and was pretty good. I was doing video games, and these guys wanted to hire me at 17.

How does someone become a game programmer at such a young age?

My dad bought me a computer when I was about 13. Before that, I wanted to be an artist and an architect. I loved drawing. But then I discovered computers and wanted to learn everything about them. I got every tech manual and taught myself. It definitely changed my trajectory. My dad was an aeronautical engineer [at what is now NASA John H. Glenn Research Center], so he obviously influenced me a lot to be an engineer.

What do you most remember about your time at the university?

I'm very close friends with a lot of my school buddies. We see each other a lot, so Case Western Reserve is not left far behind. … I was an engineer but also pursuing a management degree. I also took a lot of classes in art, which was kind of a different world. So I had lots of different groups of friends, which was nice. The university was a perfect fit for who I was and what I wanted at that point in my life.

Was there anything in particular that prepared you for what you're doing now?

Case Western Reserve introduced me to a lot of folks from around the world and a lot of people with different views, and that's been great. I'm a world traveler now, mostly because of my friends at Case Western Reserve, who happen to be big into traveling around the world.

How did you end up at Google?

I was connected to many people at Google through my network, mostly from McKinsey [& Co.]. I approached an executive recruiter and she thought my background was perfect for a director role in its strategy consulting group. I was drawn to Google because it is a mission-driven organization with strong values and a compelling business model—not to mention, it takes on some of the most difficult and interesting technical challenges.

Did you launch the social responsibility effort at Google?

It was actually launched by the founders. They famously said they wanted to create this idea that would eclipse Google itself, in terms of impact. … I got involved because they were very excited about Internet access, energy and civic innovation. We also wanted our charitable giving to be done in a more disciplined, distinctive way. My job was to help recast it that way, so we relaunched Google.org as a charitable-giving organization. We focus on things that are technology enabled, and we have the ability to bring in all of our expertise.

What particular projects are you most proud of?

The African effort was such a nice two-way street. I got so much out of it personally. And I think it has made a big impact—not so much directly. The most important thing Google did—and can do often—is to put its name behind something, because, obviously, it brings lots of attention. The Economist magazine said at one point that the work Google has done in Africa was one of the most significant of any private company—by bringing attention to Africa, opening up offices there, making a commitment to the continent. People were like, "Well, this is a place where you can do business, there's opportunity and there's smart people, and the Internet is opening up untapped minds that are being plugged into the rest of the world."

It sounds like you also had a personal mission. Is that accurate?

No question I got personally very involved. I feel very lucky, frankly, that for some reason I became a person that the CEO and founders would go to and say: "Here's something we want you to focus on. We think you would be good at these kinds of situations." I have the most fulfilling job I could imagine.

Your company bio says you're an artist and musician, that you enjoy diving, running, sailing and backpacking. You don't really have time for all that, right?

Art and music are definitely something I keep going. It's a way to relax. I play [jazz] piano almost every day, and it's a great way to be thinking about other things. Your brain's fully engaged in a different way. With drawing, the same thing. My favorite thing is to go to a cafe or bar by myself and just sketch and hang out. I will admit, I've not gone backpacking in a long time. The last time I went was climbing [Mount] Kilimanjaro about five years ago.

Your position at Google changed recently. What are you involved with now?

I'm focusing on our robotics efforts. Software is driving most of the innovation in the field right now. It's pretty phenomenal stuff, like self-driving cars. It's going to change the world and make it a better place. It has lots of implications for people and society and for existential things as well, about who we are as a species.

—BILL LUBINGER