David Cheriton

David Cheriton
Born	David Ross Cheriton 29 3, 1951
Birthplace	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Computer scientist, professor, venture capitalist, businessman, philanthropist
Title	Professor of Computer Science
Employer	Stanford University
Known for	Early investor in Google; co-founder of Arista Networks; co-founder of Granite Systems
Education	University of Waterloo (MS, PhD)
Children	4
Awards	SIGCOMM Award for Lifetime Contribution (2003)
Website	[profiles.stanford.edu/david-cheriton Official site]

David Ross Cheriton (born March 29, 1951) is a Canadian computer scientist, professor, businessman, philanthropist, and venture capitalist who has been a member of the Stanford University faculty since the 1980s, where he founded and leads the Distributed Systems Group. Cheriton's career spans decades of academic research in distributed computing and computer networking, but he is perhaps best known outside academia for his role as one of the earliest angel investors in Google, having written a check for $100,000 to Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998 to help launch what would become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Beyond Google, Cheriton has co-founded and invested in numerous technology companies, including Granite Systems, Kealia, and Arista Networks, where he served as co-founder and chief scientist. He has also made substantial philanthropic contributions to education, including a $25 million donation to the University of Waterloo's School of Computer Science, which was subsequently renamed the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in his honor. Despite accumulating a fortune estimated in the billions, Cheriton has become known for his notably frugal personal lifestyle, frequently drawing attention for habits such as cutting his own hair and driving older vehicles.

Early Life

David Ross Cheriton was born on March 29, 1951, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up in Canada and pursued his higher education at Canadian institutions before eventually relocating to the United States to join the faculty at Stanford University.

Cheriton's early academic interests centered on computer science and mathematics, fields in which he would go on to build both an academic and commercial career. His upbringing in Vancouver and subsequent education in British Columbia and Ontario grounded him in the Canadian academic tradition, and he has maintained strong ties to Canadian institutions throughout his career, as evidenced by his major philanthropic donations to both the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia.

Education

Cheriton earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where he earned both a Master of Science degree and a PhD in computer science. His doctoral research contributed to the foundations of distributed systems, a field in which he would become a leading authority. The University of Waterloo would later become the beneficiary of one of his largest philanthropic gifts, reflecting the significance of the institution in his academic formation.

Career

Academic Career at Stanford University

Cheriton joined the Stanford University Department of Computer Science as a professor, where he founded and has led the Distributed Systems Group. His academic research has focused on distributed computing and computer networking, areas in which he has made significant contributions over several decades. Before joining Stanford, Cheriton held a position at the University of British Columbia.

At Stanford, Cheriton has been recognized not only for his research but also for his role as a mentor to graduate students, many of whom have gone on to found or lead major technology companies. His laboratory became a nexus for innovation in networking and systems design. According to Stanford Engineering, Cheriton's teaching philosophy centers on getting students to "think like experts," emphasizing deep understanding of systems architecture and practical problem-solving.

His position at Stanford has also afforded him a unique vantage point from which to identify and invest in emerging technology ventures. Many of his most successful investments originated from interactions with Stanford students and colleagues, a dynamic that has made him one of the most prolific academic investors in Silicon Valley history.

As of the mid-2020s, Cheriton has been identified as one of the wealthiest university lecturers in the world, alongside Henry Samueli of UCLA and Fan Daidi of a leading Chinese university.

Granite Systems

Cheriton co-founded Granite Systems, a networking technology company, with Andy Bechtolsheim, a fellow Stanford figure and engineer. Granite Systems developed Gigabit Ethernet switching technology. The company was acquired by Cisco Systems in 1996, a transaction that made Cheriton a multimillionaire. The Granite Systems venture was an early demonstration of Cheriton's ability to translate academic expertise in networking into commercially viable products. The relationship between Cheriton and Bechtolsheim, forged in part through their shared Stanford connections, would prove to be one of the most consequential partnerships in Silicon Valley technology investing.

Kealia

Following the success of Granite Systems, Cheriton and Bechtolsheim co-founded Kealia, a company focused on developing high-performance server technology. Kealia was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2004. The Kealia acquisition was part of a broader pattern in which Cheriton and Bechtolsheim identified emerging market opportunities in systems architecture and built companies to address those needs, ultimately selling to larger technology corporations.

Investment in Google

Cheriton's most consequential investment came in 1998, when two of his Stanford graduate students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, approached him and Bechtolsheim about funding for their nascent search engine project, originally known as "Backrub" and later renamed Google. Cheriton invested $100,000 in the venture, making him one of Google's earliest angel investors.

Bechtolsheim also wrote a check — for $100,000 — and fellow investor Ram Shriram provided an additional $250,000, making the trio among Google's first three outside investors. At the time, Brin and Page were seeking funding to develop and scale their PageRank algorithm-based search engine. Cheriton, drawing on his expertise in distributed systems and networking, recognized the potential of their approach to organizing information on the World Wide Web.

The investment in Google proved to be extraordinarily lucrative. Following Google's initial public offering in 2004 and the subsequent growth of the company (later reorganized as Alphabet Inc.), Cheriton's stake appreciated enormously in value, forming the foundation of his multi-billion-dollar fortune. According to Forbes, as Cheriton's Stanford students came to him for startup advice and funding, his insight into technology and markets allowed him to identify Google as a major opportunity.

Arista Networks

Cheriton co-founded Arista Networks, a cloud networking company that designs and sells multilayer network switches to deliver software-defined networking solutions for large data center, cloud computing, high-performance computing, and high-frequency trading environments. At Arista, Cheriton served as chief scientist, contributing to the company's technical direction and product architecture.

Arista Networks went public in June 2014. Following its initial public offering, the company's valuation soared, making it one of Silicon Valley's notable networking success stories. Cheriton's role at Arista exemplified his approach of combining deep academic knowledge in networking with hands-on company building. His ownership stake in Arista further contributed to his overall wealth.

OptumSoft

Cheriton founded OptumSoft, a software company focused on developing programming tools and systems software designed to simplify the construction of complex distributed systems. OptumSoft reflected Cheriton's ongoing interest in creating more efficient approaches to software development for distributed computing environments.

Apstra

Cheriton was involved with Apstra, a networking startup focused on intent-based networking. In a 2016 profile, The Wall Street Journal described Cheriton as "the billionaire professor" behind the new networking startup Apstra, highlighting his continued engagement with emerging networking technologies. Cheriton participated in discussions about the future of networking, including a debate at the Open Networking User Group (ONUG) on the direction of network architecture.

Investment Philosophy

Cheriton's approach to technology investing has been distinctive in Silicon Valley. Rather than operating as a traditional venture capitalist with a formal fund, he has invested directly in companies, often those founded by his students or colleagues at Stanford. He has funded at least 20 companies over the course of his career.

In a 2020 interview with Business Insider, Cheriton described the three key questions he asks before investing in any startup: whether the product addresses a genuine market need, whether the team has the technical capability to execute, and whether the business model can scale effectively. His track record as an investor — with major returns from Google, VMware, and Arista Networks, among others — has made him one of the most successful angel investors in technology history.

Cheriton was also an early investor in VMware, the virtualization technology company. His expertise in systems architecture allowed him to recognize the potential of virtualization technology early in its development.

Other Advisory and Board Roles

Cheriton has served in advisory capacities for various technology companies. He was listed as a member of the advisory board of Aster Data Systems, a company specializing in big data analytics.

Personal Life

Cheriton is a Canadian citizen who has resided in the San Francisco Bay Area for much of his professional life. He has four children.

Despite his enormous wealth, Cheriton has attracted considerable media attention for his frugal personal habits. Bloomberg Businessweek profiled him in 2012 as "Silicon Valley's humble billionaire," noting his understated lifestyle. Reports have described Cheriton as cutting his own hair, driving older vehicles, and living modestly relative to his means. In an interview with the Financial Post, Cheriton described himself as "cheap," explaining his belief that excessive spending on luxury goods is wasteful. Business Insider included Cheriton in a list of notably frugal billionaires.

His personal financial story received widespread coverage in 2000 when, amid the dot-com boom in Silicon Valley, divorce proceedings among wealthy technology figures drew media attention, with the Associated Press reporting on the complexity of asset division in the region.

Cheriton has expressed views on the importance of Silicon Valley as a hub for talent and venture capital investment, noting the concentration of engineering talent and funding sources as a critical competitive advantage for the region.

Philanthropy

Cheriton has made significant philanthropic contributions, primarily focused on education and computer science research at institutions where he studied or worked.

His largest known donation was $25 million to the University of Waterloo's School of Computer Science, his graduate alma mater. In recognition of the gift, the school was renamed the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science.

Cheriton also donated $7.5 million to the University of British Columbia, his undergraduate alma mater, to support computer science education and research.

In 2016, Cheriton made a $12 million endowment to Stanford University to support Computer Science faculty, graduate fellowships, and undergraduate scholarships, further reinforcing his commitment to academic excellence in the field of computer science.

These donations reflect a consistent pattern of reinvestment in the academic institutions and fields that shaped Cheriton's career. His philanthropic focus on graduate studies, research infrastructure, and scholarships has been designed to support the next generation of computer scientists and engineers.

Recognition

In 2003, Cheriton received the SIGCOMM Award for Lifetime Contribution from the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Data Communication. The SIGCOMM Award recognizes lifetime contributions to the field of communication networks and is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the networking research community.

Cheriton's renaming of the University of Waterloo's School of Computer Science in his honor represents a form of institutional recognition of both his financial contributions and his stature in the field.

His role in the founding and early funding of Google has been the subject of extensive media coverage. Forbes profiled him in 2012 as the "Professor Billionaire," highlighting the unusual combination of a continued active academic career with extraordinary wealth generated through technology investments. Bloomberg Businessweek similarly profiled him as Silicon Valley's "humble billionaire."

Legacy

Cheriton's career represents an uncommon intersection of sustained academic research and commercially transformative technology investment. His dual role as a Stanford professor and Silicon Valley investor has positioned him as a distinctive figure in the history of American technology entrepreneurship.

His academic contributions to distributed computing and networking have influenced the architectures underlying modern cloud computing and data center networking. Through Arista Networks, he helped build a company that became a major supplier of networking infrastructure to large-scale data centers. Through his investment in Google, he helped provide early capital to what became one of the most consequential technology companies of the 21st century.

Cheriton's investment approach — drawing on deep technical expertise to evaluate startups, often those founded by his own students — has been cited as a model for how academic knowledge can be leveraged in venture investing. His track record across Google, VMware, Arista Networks, Granite Systems, and Kealia demonstrates a consistent ability to identify significant market opportunities in networking and systems architecture.

His philanthropic contributions to the University of Waterloo, the University of British Columbia, and Stanford University have provided substantial support for computer science education and research, ensuring that the institutions that shaped his career continue to produce new generations of researchers and entrepreneurs.

The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo stands as a lasting institutional tribute to his contributions to the field and to the university that granted his graduate degrees.