未來主義者，發明家，作家

????1978年，施樂（Xerox）開始對Kurzweil Computer Products感興趣，并對我的公司進行了投資。1979年，他們表示有意收購。他們感興趣的是掃描和文字識別技術。當時施樂是一家打印機公司，他們有很多的產品：復印機、打印機，都是將電腦化信息轉錄到紙張上。我們有一項技術，能反其道而行之。當時我還沒有那樣的理念：我真正的業務是發明技術，打造業務，然后出售。我的態度是：這是我的公司，我的職責是創立它，打造成功，然后可能賣給施樂。但我的首席財務官哈瑞·喬治稱：“你真正擅長的是發明新的技術，帶給這個世界。但有其他人，可以把它帶到全球市場。你應該賣給施樂。”

????我接受了他的建議，施樂在這個基礎上打造了一家全球領先的企業。由此，我進入了這樣的模式。這促使我重新定義自己的業務范疇：做一位發明家，發明突破性的技術，然后賣給大公司，在那里這些技術真正能夠發揚光大。我已經賣了五家公司，現在所有這些公司都還在。比如，Kurzweil Music現在是現代（Hyundai）的一部分。這些公司能以更好的方式將它帶給全球市場，這是我們這樣一家小型合成制造商辦不到的事情。

Ray Kurzweil

Futurist, inventor, author

????In 1978, Xerox became interested in Kurzweil Computer Products and made an investment in my company. In 1979 they expressed interest in acquiring it. They were interested in the scanning and character-recognition technology. Xerox was in the printer business, and they had a lot of machines: copiers, printers that took computerized information and put it out onto paper. We had a technology that could go in the other direction. At the time I did not have the philosophy that the real business I was in was creating technologies, creating a business from them, and selling them. My attitude was: This is my company, and my role is to create it and build it up and maybe make it into Xerox. But my CFO, Harry George, said, "What you're really good at is creating a new technology and bringing it into the world. But there are other people who can bring it to a world market. You should sell to Xerox."

????I took the advice, and Xerox created a world-leading company out of it. That got me into this paradigm. It caused me to redefine the business I'm in, which is being an inventor and creating breakthrough technologies and then finding the right home in a larger company where they can really thrive. I've sold five companies, and all of them have not disappeared into the woodwork. Kurzweil Music, for example, is now part of Hyundai. They were able to bring it to a world market in a much better way than we could as a small synthesizer manufacturer.