Qualcomm's success and the run-up of its stock price in 1999 has many San Diegans celebrating and comparing notes about when they bought in. It is San Diego’s biggest success story by a factor of 10. The company and its founders have shared their success with the community. Many projects and programs have benefited, notably the stadium, which has gained rapid acceptance as the "Q."
    On the receiving end of "couldn’t happen to a nicer guy" is Irwin Jacobs. On a Monday night in November, Jacobs is speaking to a group of about 100 at the UCSD Faculty Club. Those gathered are alumni from the Executive Program for Scientists and Engineers run by UCSD Extension. Jacobs was involved in the founding of the program and you can tell by the nodding heads that this group understands the technical references in his entertaining talk.
    The topic is general, perhaps the future of telecommunications, but the main thing is to hear words of wisdom from a master entrepreneur. Jacobs is in great form. Affable, warm, with a quick laugh and a constant smile, he tells his stories and is generous with his time in answering questions. The fact that he has never lost the Eastern pronunciation of "ideer" is totally disarming. The questions are simple: What’s the secret of your success? What is your biggest challenge in the next 10 years?
    The answers are also simple. "Surround yourself with very good people, give them lots of elbow room," says Jacobs. "Operate like a university — interact with people, help guide them, be open to intellectual ferment, stimulate people." Jacobs declares that his biggest challenge will be to keep running fast enough to stay ahead of competitors. Finding good people and being able to reward them and keep them challenged is key. "The rapidly expanding telecom convergence and growing technical capabilities ... there are not enough hours in the day," he says.

— Andrea Moser