Steve Crocker is an Internet pioneer and computer scientist with experience in academia, government, and industry. He managed research at DARPA in the early 1970s, founded the computer science research laboratory at The Aerospace Corporation in the early 1980s, co-founded CyberCash, Inc. in the early 1990s, and served on the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers from 2003 to 2017. He earned his B.A. in mathematics and Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA. His honors include the 2002 IEEE Internet Award, an honorary doctorate from the University of San Martín des Porres in Lima, Perú, founding membership in the Internet Hall of Fame Pioneers, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Internet Society.

What are you most proud of in your work or life?

In life, a wonderful family including a wonderful wife and two delightful and happy children and their families. In work, I’ve been lucky to be part of the Internet revolution.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Hang out with my wife. We joke that we’re still on our second date.

An embarrassing moment or moment of failure in your STEM career or academic experience?

I’ve often looked at my life as a series of successive failures. I shocked each of my children when I suggested my autobiography would be titled, “Salvage Operation.”

Do you have a personal motto or other words to live by?

Strive to make a difference. Join worthy projects. But look after yourself. It’s important to survive the experience. No project or enterprise is more important than maintaining physical and mental health.

Favorite snack food?

Almost anything I shouldn’t have.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t try to solve every problem all at once. Divide big problems into more manageable ones. Relax.