D'Arcy Rudnay: Comcast and its Entrepreneurial Culture

Q: What does having an entrepreneurial culture mean to you?

A: Because Comcast provides products, services, and entertainment to millions of people around the world, some may assume that we don’t have an entrepreneurial culture. However, it is quite the opposite and that is perhaps the most interesting and motivating thing about working here. When Ralph Roberts started the Company, his passion was creating a great company, being entrepreneurial, and having a drive to succeed combined with a focus on customers. Having a culture of creativity and innovation were not just words; they were expectations. Today, creativity and innovation are the heart and soul of our company. Any successful business is a result of growth, which goes beyond coming up with great ideas, but also hiring the right people, and empowering them to bring those ideas to life.

Q: Are there certain qualities Comcast looks for when hiring people to work here?

A: We don’t want people just to work here, we want them to thrive here. Regardless of the position, we look for candidates who are self-motivated, respectful of others, and who are truly team players focused on the success of the Company and each other. Our organization is comprised of people who want to do the right thing every day, develop creative ways to move the organization forward, and motivate their team members. These qualities are especially important as the media and technology industries continue to experience rapid change and increased competition.

Q: How has Comcast’s culture influenced your own career?

A: When I came here, Brian Roberts was very clear that he had big plans for our Company and our people. His vision was exciting and inspiring to me then, and still is today. I have the freedom to try new things, to experiment, and to evolve our team to keep up with the pace at which our industry is moving. However, when I first started, I didn’t come from this industry and it took time for me to earn his trust and the trust of my peers. I realized very quickly that the only way I would succeed was by going the extra mile. People have to want to work with you and those relationships are built through trust and success. When you work so closely together on so many projects, having a culture of integrity, trust and care for each other is essential. Ultimately, I learned that you will rely on your relationships and the trust you’ve built to move tough projects forward; without that approach, I would not enjoy my career at Comcast as much as I do.

Q: If you had to give some examples of how our entrepreneurial roots have impacted our strategy, what would they be?

A: Brian had the foresight to know we would need to continually evolve and grow our business. I came on board just after we acquired AT&T Broadband, a pivotal moment in our history that laid the groundwork for how we would take our business to the next level in terms of reach. And our acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011 gave us the ability to stake our claim in the media industry and work together with the NBCUniversal team to make an incredible company even better. These two acquisitions allowed us to diversify and hedge our bets on where content, cord-cutting, and broadband were going. More importantly, they enabled us to become an innovative leader, to invest resources in research and development, and to focus on delivering the technology, devices, and experiences our customers were going to want and need. It is our entrepreneurial culture that got us to be a global media and technology company and that has helped us to maintain our leadership in this rapidly evolving and fiercely competitive industry.