John Warnock’s Smile
When John Warnock -- who cofounded (with Chuck Geschke) the software giant Adobe — died at 82 last weekend, he was eulogized in the press for his role in creating Photoshop and other hugely popular publishing and design tools. “A technological genius.” That’s how Warnock was remembered primarily -- almost exclusively. But he was more than that. He studied philosophy at the University of Utah, he collected antiquarian books, he loved (and supported) movies. And he recognized early on that the Web would be a popular communications medium. His investment brought Salon, my publishing venture, to life.
Salon was a co-creation of San Francisco's edgy editorial and artistic talent and Silicon Valley's financial prowess. But I saw it as something more important than that, and so did John.
Warnock believed deeply in a rambunctiously free press. And, as Salon's major investor, he allowed me and my colleagues to create an independent, often controversial publication.
John was a very intelligent man -- and when he walked into the Salon office for a board meeting or took me to lunch, I knew that I would have to justify the expenditure of his money. But he also stood by us during the political and financial hard times.
When, for instance, we broke with the media establishment and investigated the nemesis of President Bill Clinton -- Ken Starr and his vast right-wing conspiracy -- not because we loved Clinton, but because we knew the alternative (New Gingrich) was even worse. The Wall Street Journal editorialized against us (condemning Warnock as our principal investor), Republican leaders threatened to sic the FBI on us, a bomb threat forced us to empty our office, and we were targeted by ad boycotts and tech sabotage.
Throughout all of these dark times, John Warnock never once pressured me to go easier, to temper our editorial crusades. He was a brave and good man.
But it's his warm smile I'll always remember. It always reassured me: you'll get this Internet thing right, you'll figure it out, you'll get to breakeven. And, in the meantime, you're doing some great journalism. I'm proud of you.
His smile meant the world to me. I wish I could've seen it one more time.
John Warnock