Retirement

One of my co-workers at EMC always wanted to be an EMC Fellow. He said,

"When you're a Fellow, they put you in a corner and leave you alone so you can come up with the next big thing."

I became an EMC Fellow in 2012 and worked in that corner right up until my retirement.

I practiced three primary activities while striving to find the next big thing (e.g., Data Confidence Fabrics).

1. I limited myself to forty hours per week.
2. I avoided visibility.
3. I practiced hyper-productivity.

What will I do in retirement? Well, there are three main things I disliked about my job: sitting, staring at screens, and isolation. So my general retirement framework is to avoid those three things! For example, I'm planning on spending more time hiking and backpacking (see pictures below).

If you have ever been:

• a customer that used any of the products I worked on, or,
• an industry partner that I collaborated with, or,
• a colleague that worked with me,

... I would love to have a memory of our connection. Please consider leaving a comment.

Thanks for a great career,

Steve

Trolltunga, Norway. Sep 2022. Photo credit Matthew Todd

How I feel about retirement. Photo credit Matthew Todd

 

Comments

[Jeannette Thomas]

I feel blessed to be a part of your EMC legacy and specifically as my boss! Your support, encouragement and guidance still remain with me! All the best in this next chapter which will be great! I am looking forward to your future posts! Thank you, Jeannette

[Dave Spencer]

When I started my career in 1996, I had no idea how lucky I was. I mean, I felt lucky for a dozen reasons, but it was looking back years later that I understood the truth of the situation. Very few people end up working on a brand new software project on Day One of their career, and very few are given the latitude I was given in Year One either.

But much more important was who I was working with; I landed on your team, and I had no idea I was standing in the company of giants. It may be tempting to laugh that off, but I was lucky enough to start my career learning from one of the brightest and most well-balanced individuals I've met in my life, at a time when I was fortunate enough to still understand how little I knew. Steve, I still have to remind myself of some things you taught me 25 years ago. They influence not just my own approach to work, but the approach I try to instill in those I work with.

I just spent some time reading through your more recent blog posts and realized just how much you still have to teach me.

I can only imagine there are dozens of more people like me, people who have learned from you as you've influenced the industry and this company. I hope you take some pride not just in all your inventions and all you've accomplished in your family life, but also in the lives of all the people who are where they are today because of lessons you helped them learn a decade or two (or three) ago.

I wish you all the best in all the journeys you take. You deserve it. Thank you -- for all you've done, all you've shared, and all you still have to teach.

[Jeroen van Rotterdam]

Look the "master of invention" at EMC is retiring! It brings back many great memories of working and brainstorming with Steve. What a great run as a fellow! Just a heads up: you will be bored in 6 months.

Enjoy your time off! Well deserved

[Becky Kurtz]

Wise words of advice after an extremely successful career! It was an honor to work and learn alongside you, dad! I look forward to implementing this advice through the rest of my career ;)

[Ed Walsh]

Congratulations on a great career. People don't always remember what you said but they remember how you made them feel. I love seeing all the comments from people you have positively impacted through your mentorship and support. I was always amazed that for someone who worked to keep a low profile, you had fantastic insight into what was going on in the business, industry, and the world.

Starting the EMC VisionX program with you has been one of my career highlights. We gave a voice to our top engineers and the opportunity to meet with 100's of our customers through the Executive Briefing Program. Of course, you insisted we use data. We had scribes capture and analyze customer feedback. The quarterly reviews of the feedback with you and John Roese were gold and shaped product roadmaps for years to come.

Thank you! I'm looking forward to updates from your hikes.

[Bill Schmarzo]

I had the great fortune to work with Steve in the early Big Data days of trying to create a valuation methodology for determining the value of an organizations' data. Always creative, with seemingly boundless amounts of energy for this topic and others.

Enjoy your retirement, Steve, though I have a hard time imagining you actually being "retired."

Bill

[Mike Kiersey]

Steve, congratulations on this exciting new chapter! 🎉 As you step into retirement, I hope it’s filled with joy, adventure, and wonderful memories. Reflecting on our career and life journey is so important, isn’t it? And you know what? You’re one of those special guides who’ve helped others reach new heights, shape their thoughts, and navigate their paths.

At EMC, our time together was nothing short of awesome. Back then, software was already nibbling away at the workload, and innovation was the secret sauce for staying ahead. You and John Roese were like Jedi Masters—shaping minds, influencing tech, and making a difference. The things we take for granted today owe a lot to your vision and expertise.

So, Steve, as you embark on this new adventure, consider it a fresh mountain to climb, a new edge to conquer. May it be as thrilling as any summit!

[Rodrigo Gazzaneo]

Steven, congratulations! I remember when we first met at EMC, and I was amazed by your work and how it applied to many of our customers. Working with you through the field CTO program and the Executive Briefing Program later was a fantastic experience. Thanks for the time you spent with me in Brazil. I hope you could enjoy a little of our culture, and have fun while making history. It was also great to reconnect a few years later when I moved to the USA. You were always available, and willing to help. Your mission is more than accomplished.

[Sarah Evans]

Steve - I first came across a white paper you wrote while doing research for an internal position paper. You were very approachable, and I was pleased to add primary conversation with you to my paper. Later, our paths crossed again when I was on another team, and I was able to collaborate with you more directly. I have enjoyed brainstorming with you, and getting to know you better as well. Because of you I will definitely plan a vacation to North Dakota specifically. 🙂 Enjoy your retirement and your time for many new hikes and adventures away from a screen.

[Jenn Milliken Nicoletti]

Congrats on your retirement Steve! I'm jealous! Seems like a lifetime ago that I started working with you at Data General/EMC. I echo Dave's sentiment that I had no idea how lucky I was! Your patience, support and mentorship made work someplace I wanted to be. Would love to catch up some time!

[Paul Leemans]

Steve my man! It is happening. Good to see you are so active and have all sorts of cool things ahead of you, besides being a grandpa of course. Although you did not play ball like a grandpa. I remember those games we played at CLARiiON, jealous of my European defense :-).
You were really a great colleague, taking care of me in the States and at work, teaching me to write code that complied to the coding standards. Fun days with you, Mich Fisher, Dave Cordella, Phil Nigro, Dave Spencer, and Malcolm Lwason.
We also had great fun eating lobster in Cape Cod.
Was great to have you over in Breda with the fam. Hope to see you again in the Netherlands or our house in Spain!
For now, enjoy the moment and hope to see you soon! With live from Costa Brava (where we are now).

[Doug Wood]

Congrats on the milestone Steve. Looking back on years together at EMC, you were clearly a devoted Corporate team member and a force for innovation and product excellence in the company. It was a pleasure working with you, driving new products to market and building the company’s IP portfolio. Enjoy this next phase and best wishes.

[Brian Campbell]

Steve -

I remember back to 1997 when you referred me for a job at Data General/Clariion. That started me on my 20 yr journey with DG/EMC/Dell. Adding to what Dave Spencer posted, your professional job advice and friendship has been career lasting and will always be remembered and greatly appreciated.

I also want to mention on this post that your friendship extends even prior to those DG days when our families got together (our kids were pretty young but close to the same age) for church league softball, tennis, cookouts, birthday parties, hikes. Remember the Mt Washington Hike in 1998(?) along with some others and my son? (my son was 7 at the time). These memories are just as important and impactful to me and my family as is the work related experiences. Then once I started working with you at DG then Dell, we continued with after work softball, more cookouts, gatherings with coworkers, etc.

Although distance and job roles have made staying in contact intermittent over the years, the memories and lessons remain. Take care and hopefully we can stay in contact even though you are way up there in N Andover!

[Stu Miniman]

Steve - congrats on your retirement! I have so many great memories from the internal Innovation Conferences and exploring the early days of social media which led to blogger passes at some amazing conferences. We met some amazing people that reinforced how much we can learn from those that are outside our usual circles. And of course we won't forget some amazing speakers and getting to take to the stage at Radio City Music Hall during a break (the video of us imitating the Rockettes is still out on the interwebs somewhere). I'm sure that you will enjoy exploring your passions in some different adjacent communities.

[Trevor Conn]

Steve -- Many happy congratulations on your retirement! It has been a pleasure to work with you over these last six years or so. It's been great to create something as innovative as the Data Confidence Fabric together. Thanks for your mentorship, creative collaboration, support and unceasing optimism.

Enjoy life's next chapter, and I hope we can stay in touch!

[Dave DesRoches]

Congratulations Stevemon on such a truly well earned, well deserved retirement.

Man that old adage about time-flies is soooo true. From the early days in Durham NH, creating industry-disrupting technology while fresh out of college, all the way to industry-leading Fellowship — who knew what a great wide-ranging ride was ahead.

But it’s important to cite that the ride’s path wasn’t pre-paved —you sought out your opportunities, followed your own compass, pursued what was possible and brought it forth with an exceptional level of continually advancing technical acumen. And all the while doing what leaders of champion sports teams do - you made everyone around you better.

And lastly, you did it all with an endless supply of grace and sincere humanity that touched all who have worked with you.

To a great teammate and great friend, all the very best to you, Katy, and the family as your days become filled with the wonderful aspects of life that are a touch closer to heart and home. :-)

[Deb Russell]

Steve, a big congrats on your retirement! It was a pleasure working with you during a brief gig project for Multivac. Your support and advoacy for design and research influenced the next generation of the program. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new, help others, and work with a TLC celebrity.

Enjoy your next chapter and take care. If you ever visit CO and looking for some cool hikes, let me know. I continue to explore as much as I can...

-Deb.

[Paul O'Neill]

Steve, loved our Intel/Dell interactions. We always had a smile on our faces working together. There's a pint of Guinness in Dublin with your name on it, you just need to call it in my friend.

Slainte

paul..

[Rob Lincourt]

Steve, congrats on your retirement. It was a long time ago when we first met at one of the first innovation conferences. Then some years later I got to work with you and you exposed me to the concept of innovation and patents.

Doing that work with you was some of the most fun that I have had at work! Then we got to work on some of the same projects and concepts. It was an honor to see how you worked, treated people, and impacted the direction of the company.

I will treasure these memories and others.
Thank you for all the time you spent with me throughout the years.

Rob

[Amr Abdel Aziz]

Congratulation, Steve, it's about time to enjoy freedom :) I look on our time working together in the Data Office, and I feel proud. It has been a great adventure.

Personally, I truly enjoyed working with you, and under your leadership. It's been an amazing learning experience and showing a true example of leadership and innovation.

Looking forward to see you in Egypt.
Amr

[Bishoy Sabry]

Just sharing the stage with you Steve has been an honor. Always been inspired by your approach even though not part of your org.

Excited to see what your relaxed and focused time will yield!

[wayne pauley]

Congrats Steve and welcome to the club.

I will never forget your mentoring and support in my efforts at EMC and while you were at Dell and I was at VMware.

One of the key memories is I had all these ideas regarding cloud privacy and security and I wanted to see if I could patent the ideas. I asked around and a bunch of people in the CTO office said I should talk to you because you were a serial inventor with over a 100 patents at the time.

I knocked on your door and we got to chatting - first you wanted to know who I was as a person and then as an employee and a technologist. Then you helped me clarify my ideas and put them on paper so that we could go through them with your whiteboard and your massive experience in the industry.

We pulled in other members for their expertise on various topics and filed 15 patents together. It took over 10 years for all of them to get through the process - but they all got approved eventually, thanks to your hard work and dedication.

Enjoy your next adventure and if you are ever down my way feel free to visit or stay over for some time in version of paradise.

Take care,
Wayne

[Ron Reidy, Ph.D.]

Hello Steve, congratulations on your retirement! I just wanted to say that I always appreciated working with you whether it was at CLARiiON, EMC, or Dell. I felt honored to be asked by you to read your pre-submission papers and provide my comments, it was fun and always a learning experience, thank you. Additionally, when you worked with us, (David Dietrich, Barry Heller, Beibei Yang, & me) to guide our Patent request through the process, that was great and for me a wonderful learning experience that was/is most appreciated. Lastly, I think what will remain with me insofar as our work relationship goes is that from day one you have always been the same person; whether it was our first meeting at CLARiiON, a show in Vegas where you shouted to me across a busy exhibit hallway to have me come over to meet your wife, or just when you happened to be in Franklin and stopped to say “hello.” Wishing you and your family the best of health and a wonderful retirement! Best, Ron

[Jeroen Mackenbach]

Congratulations on a well deserved retirement. It's been incredible to have worked with you over the past years in Dell. Always available for feedback on disclosures or applications.

Thank you for your leadership and insight which will bring initiatives that drive future innovations for generations to come!

Grateful to be part of the initial birth of your baby DCF in 2019 and will be an evangelist for it until I retire as the importance is huge.

So long and if you ever travel to the Netherlands, make sure you give me a shout!

[Rodrigo Senra]

Congratulations on this milestone Steve.
We had a very brief interaction while I was a Principal Data Scientist in EMC Research Center in Brazil/Rio de Janeiro.
We've had a couple of mentoring sessions, but your advice and your wisdom and generosity were greatly appreciated, having a very positive impact in my professional career. Now, as a fellow people's manager I better recognize the value of getting positive feedback about the uncertain and subjective human interactions. Just wanted to say thank you and kudos for this conquest.

[Matt (Brender) Broberg]

Todd you were one of my first inspirations in the tech world. I so appreciated your guidance in those first few years of my career at EMC and I always respected your focus and commitment to sharing what you learn. I could never claim I learned hyperfocus, I do try and bottle your kindness and humility. Wishing you the best!

[Polly Pearson]

Steve, your legacy to me is marked by humility, creativity, brilliance, friendship, problem solving, fearlessness, innovation, mentoring without bounds, love of your family, Plymouth State, NH mountain exploring, and JOY! I am forever grateful that you adapted your rule to stay below the corporate radar so that you could help EMC be better understood by the global talent market and an even better place to work at a time of massive change (recession) followed by volumes of company acquisitions (30+? 50+?!). You helped cast a spotlight on the innovators and what made them special. This was far from your job description and yet you offered brilliant ideas and became the ultimate original high tech podcast (aka “visual talk radio”) co-host and tech innovation contest enterprise collaboration guru! I am forever grateful for your friendship, impact to EMC’s corporate culture, the bridge of knowledge you provided between the “head shed” (where the overhead lives) and the under-heard inventors of the products that brought in the customers and the revenue! DG -> EMC -> DELL became as valuable as they did in the eyes of customers, employees, and investors in a sizable part because of your ideas, execution, and above-and-beyond impact. You always wanted to be the unsung engineer and I was delighted to crack that mold just a little bitty bit to shine a light on the massive inventions/insights/books you brought to light as well as the silent mentoring you did to further the innovation cycle wherever you ventured. I am super excited you’ll have more time to hike, explore, act (?), parent, love your beautiful forever bride, grandfather, and mentor some more! Cheers to the ONE AND ONLY STEVE TODD! You better stay in touch.

[Misha Salamatov]

Steve, you're a true legend! You've been a role model for everyone working with you. As an inventor, innovator, speaker, mentor you were energizing people surrounding you by you unlimited passion to new technologies. I appreciate the opportunity of working with on multiple projects. Finally, it's been a great honor to show you my city back in 2013-2014.
Wishing you all the best in your new adventures. Hope one day we'll meet in person.
Looking forward to seeing new posts here (or anywhere else) with you hiking photoreports.

[Nicole Reineke]

As you step into retirement, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude, Steve. Having you as a mentor has been an incredible stroke of luck. It isn’t often that one has the opportunity to partner with a master of their craft. Learning about blockchain, and the nuances of data trustworthiness, and having your support and guidance in the TLC journey has been a remarkable journey.

Presenting at Dell Tech World alongside you was an absolute honor. Going on our patent spree was not only rewarding but immensely fun.

What's even more incredible is how you engaged me with your 'commando mentoring' style—I didn’t even realize I was being mentored until well after I was already doing work for you ;-).

While I’m sorry to see you hanging up your official industry hat, I'm excited about the new adventures that await you. Thank you for everything, Steve. Here’s to new beginnings and lasting legacies!

[Mark (Storagezilla) Twomey]

Steve, congratulations on your retirement from your long long long long long loooonnnggggg career. I always thought you were well preserved when we met. Having a couch in your office for naps kept you surprisingly fresh. When we first met on the EMC intranet years ago and you told me about your unconventional path, I have to admit my first thought was "Who is this refugee from corporate humanity?" However, I quickly found that your stories about your work experiences were truly fascinating and interesting. And horrifying, really horrifying. Like when you told me how Clariion moved from Hemisphere to running on Windows NT and then Windows XP Embedded. Even when Microsoft wasn't convinced it was a good idea. Your wise counsel and advice over the years is greatly appreciated. That patent with you as co-inventor is still on my desk at home. I wish you all the best in your retirement and hope you have many enjoyable years ahead to relish your well-earned rest. Thank you for all your contributions during your career. (To me. Those are the contributions that matter. To me.)

Enjoy yourself!

Zilla.

[Dave Coleman]

Congratulation on reaching your next phase, your boundless energy will serve you well in many new adventures.
The first words I think of for Steve Todd is humble and helpful. Steve was always available and eager to engage in technical conversations, always generous with his time and encouragement. One would not know, speaking with Steve, what an amazing legacy he had with his many inventions, patents, and successful projects and products.

[Maram]

It was a pleasure working with you Steve. You’ve taught me a lot and made everything easier. Thank you for the amazing year.

[Marina Varzar]

Steve, I distinctly recall our first encounter. It was during the winter in St. Petersburg when you delivered a lecture at St. Pete University. Despite the biting cold and distance, you opted to walk from your hotel, a choice that surprised me. Wrapped in a fur hat that suited you perfectly, you exuded an adventurous spirit at every turn.

Having you as a mentor was an incredible experience for the entire Russia COE team. You nurtured several technical leaders and assisted the leadership team in articulating the COE's value to corporate stakeholders.

When my family and I relocated to the US, you, along with Katy, Becky, Matt, and Jacoby, extended a warm welcome. The Thanksgiving dinner spent with your family remains etched in my heart.

Your humility, coupled with remarkable achievements, along with your curiosity, open-mindedness, and genuine interest in assisting others, are traits for which I am profoundly grateful.

I eagerly anticipate seeing photos from your retirement hiking adventures!

[Brian Lewis]

Steve
I feel honored to have been able to fill in for you at some of the conferences was truly a highlight !
I learned a lot from you and appreciate all you did for me in particular.
You helped me achieve principal engineer status, and spent time with me on the cloud stimulation engine patent.
You are an inspiration to us all!!!
Thank you

[Jason Davidson]

Congratulations on your retirement! I greatly enjoyed working for you and identify with those three aspirations as well.

I hope you gave the patent attorneys a heads up about the lower workload—they might need to pick up some hobbies!

Thank you for being an inspiration and a friend. I look forward to seeing updates about your retirement.

[Marianne Toma]

Congratulations Steve on reaching this big milestone. One where you get to relax and enjoy your family and hobbies (more hiking and ice fishing maybe?) knowing that you have done a wonderful job building a legacy and mentoring many many people, of whom I’ve been very lucky to be one.
Thank you for your patience with me and for all you’ve taught me.
Can’t wait to hear more about your upcoming journeys and adventures 😊

[Zoran Cakeljic]

Steve, congratulations on crossing the Finish line! Our time together, back in the day, was creative, productive, and plainly lots of fun. May your days ahead be all of that, and filled with projects and people you love!

[Sam Pendleton]

Steve - Where have the years gone? It was a pleasure and an honor to work with you in the early days of your career at DG in Durham. I doubt that any of us could have imagined how the technology world change before our eyes in those early days. We were truly on the verge of a technology revolution. We had no idea.

I look back on those days, we were friends and colleagues with a marvelous sense of humor and a great job to do. Now, at the other end of our careers, we can look back at the strange paths that our lives have taken. Could we have even guessed?

It is an honor to have worked with you. I wish you and your family all the best in retirement. Find new things to challenge you and keep you vibrant. Keep learning. Keep asking the question: "What if...?". Find new areas in your life to ask it. Have fun!

All the best and God Bless!

[Dave Dimond]

The first time I met Steve was when he was presenting the Global Innovation Network Analytics (GINA) platform to one of our most valued customers at our Executive Briefing Center. Watching the customer team lean in as he vividly sold a vision was a priceless moment for me. I knew right then that I wanted to learn from him, so I pulled him aside afterward and asked for a meeting to seek advice on building technical credentials and a network to pursue my dream of becoming a Distinguished Engineer.

Since I was in sales at the time, I thought it would be a real stretch. But Steve didn’t see it that way. He opened the door to become more than just a mentor to me; he became a friend and a candid advisor. He believed in my potential even when I had doubts. He introduced me to his book Innovating with Influence, which provided a great roadmap for me, especially the part about managing my visibility.

At the time, I was focused on ‘thought’ leadership, but what I learned from Steve was the importance of ‘do’ leadership and connecting with teams who are on the cutting edge of building technology. He constantly encouraged me to stay focused on my strengths and identified unique networking opportunities to help me gain specific experience and credentials. With his guidance and unwavering support over the next four years, I grew technically and eventually became a Distinguished Engineer, the first ever in a sales position.

Steve built a strong following and cohesive virtual teams across the company and many segments of the tech industry. When I look back through this blog, I see memorable milestones and opportunities he seized to invent technologies and build new ecosystems - this was his mastery. His ability to inspire and unite people has made an indelible impact on so many individuals like me.

I'm looking forward to following his retirement career - it seems fitting, from the pictures above, that it's heading in the direction of being a pioneer. I'm forever grateful for his mentorship, encouragement, and belief in me.

[Laura Nelson, Packaging Engineering]

Steve-Your Innovation climate that you helped foster at EMC forever impacted my life in that you created an environment that fostered my belief I could innovate be able to patent a design. Well, actually 2. Now with another company and telling my team "why not? And I dare you to believe ". Heartfelt thanks for your faith. Enjoy the outdoors and ability to breathe.Cheers! Laura

[Pete Malen]

I worked with Steve for a little over 4 years in my role as outside patent counsel to DellEMC. Steve was a pleasure to work with and had a way of explaining things that made my job easier and expanded the scope of my knowledge. I was always impressed with the depth and breadth of Steve's knowledge. Equally impressive to me was Steve's productivity - he was like Hall & Oates, cranking out an endless stream of hits (inventions)!

Steve - as they say in the Navy, fair winds and following seas - hope you have a long and happy retirement.

[Kathleen Moriarty]

Hey Steve,

First, congratulations! It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you and have you as a manager, even if for just a brief period of time. A highlight may be our walk in San Francisco and having the opportunity to meet your wife when we went out to dinner. You understood all aspects of work, including the importance of balance. It's good to see you highlight that along with the hyper-productivity! I hope you enjoy this next phase and would love to stay in touch!

All the best!
Kathleen

[Mark O'Connell]

Congratulations and best of luck in retirement! I think our first contact was back at DG in Clariion when I was working on the IP4700 - then more with Centera, blockchain, and I can't remember what else - it was always a pleasure to work with you and I wish you all the best in this next phase of your adventure.

[Usama Taha]

Steve, Congrats on your retirement. I'm glad that I got to work with you and have you as my mentor. Hope your retirement is as "Fruitful" as your tech career.

[Denis Canty]

Congratulations on a stellar career and the very best of luck on your next chapter Steve. Hugely fond memories of my time at EMC and significant highlights meeting you and working together on Innovation. I remember arriving to EMC Boston hoping to secure your mentorship and when we met you suggested it. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed our calls where I got to learn your story in more detail. You had a huge part in helping me grow skills as a leader that accelerated the last decade. I remember your visits to the Cork site with fondness. I think the biggest thing I took was how despite so much achievement, you led with humility and care. Remember you are always welcome here in Ireland my friend. Stay in touch. Regards Denis