Jake Perlman has always pursued innovation. An enthusiastic advocate for the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning at Spectrum, his leadership continues to improve life for customers and streamline operations within the company, earning him Syndeo Institute’s inaugural Innovation and Intrapreneurship Award for Excellence.
Growing up in Maryland, Perlman didn’t have a clear picture of where the future would lead him, but he enjoyed finding opportunities for improvement. “What motivates me is when you see something you can make better,” he says.
After graduating from Brown with a degree in economics, he decided to head west to Silicon Valley with the notion of joining a startup company. “I drove out there in my father’s Oldsmobile, and had no plan whatsoever,” he recalls. “It never dawned on me on the drive across the country, where am I gonna stay? What am I gonna do? But I eventually figured it out.”
The young man without a plan landed at a communications startup that was working on voice over internet. As Perlman found his footing and advanced, the telecom industry’s ongoing pursuit of innovation appealed to him. In telecom, he says, “you have the best of all worlds. You have big, stable customer bases, and therefore some financial flexibility to explore and learn. But at the same time it’s constantly reinventing itself. Technologies are changing, partnerships are changing, how we deliver services, what we deliver… it’s a new challenge every day.”
Perlman’s path led to Qwest and CenturyLink (now Lumen), where he rotated through a variety of information technology functions and worked his way up to VP of IT. In 2013 he joined Bright House Networks as chief information officer, tackling a wide assortment of vital projects for a maturing company. Three years later, he joined Charter when it acquired Bright House. At Charter, his intrapreneurial skills led to the creation of a unified support experience and the launches of advanced WiFi and customer self-help tools. True to his instinct to find ways to improve, he has led an ongoing series of small transformations that enhance processes in areas as varied as construction, human resources, and credit risk.
Intrapreneurs are visionaries who challenge the status quo and take bold measures to drive positive change within their organizations. To foster intrapreneurship, Perlman emphasizes a few key principles: “Making really good, sound decisions. Being a partner across the bigger company. Innovating where it’s appropriate. And being extraordinarily focused and diligent in your execution. That means taking a whole lot of pride in your work, and making sure you foresee pitfalls.”
“We’re in an industry and in a world where things are constantly evolving,” he says. “Be a constant learner; think of yourself as an ever-evolving technologist and business person. You’re going to have to keep reinventing yourself on a regular basis.” An intrapreneur and innovator at his core, Perlman regularly cites a favorite aphorism: “Fall in love with your craft, not your artwork.”
