In Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Dr. Lael Alexander, he shares how he accidentally invented Wi-Fi while working on a project in California.
The journey accelerates from project manager to strategic genius and world-changing inventor!
Part 2 of our interview reveals the pivotal moments that led to Dr. Alexander’s massive success:
The Texaco Challenge:
Dr. Alexander recounts how the ex-head of Texaco Refining sought him out after hearing stories of his company saving refineries millions by acting as “human telemetry”—using a process-based, variable-driven approach that predated modern AI computing.
The Texas Move:
A legendary interaction with Coleman Ferguson, where Dr. Alexander, driving a Porsche, famously turned down an offer for “gas money,” only to realize the offer was a massive retirement fund investment in his company.
Consulting Genius:
His first major consulting win—securing $430 million in tax abatements for the City of Port Arthur in negotiations with ExxonMobil.
The Eureka Moment:
While building a solution for LADWP to prevent transformer blowouts in California, his unattended monitoring device started using unexplained frequencies. This “glitch” became the discovery of Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) and the first-time machines talked to machines.
The Second Invention:
The same project led to a device glitch that started mirroring power on screens to mobile devices—the technological predecessor to Miracast and modern screen sharing.
The Biggest Deal:
After disrupting the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas by wirelessly taking over every screen in the hall, Dr. Alexander turned down job offers from HP, Cisco, and Dell, only to have his company acquired by the China Investment Corporation (CIC), at the same time CIC purchased 30% of America’s debt.
Hear his amazing story and why he always says: Born in America - Made in China!
