AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

The Wall Street Journal

William “Bing” Gordon, a videogame industry veteran and the longest-serving employee of Electronic Arts Inc., is leaving the company to become a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm behind Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and others.

For the past decade, Mr. Gordon, 58 years old, has been chief creative officer at EA of Redwood City, Calif., the biggest games publisher by sales. At Kleiner, Mr. Gordon says he’ll be focused on investments in consumer business, including mobile and green technologies. He’ll remain chief creative officer emeritus of EA, returning occasionally to lead workshops on innovation with employees.

“I’m becoming more broadly interested in what’s going on in media and advertising and Internet and digital technologies and mobile,” Mr. Gordon said. “What I’ve learned in games will be broadly applicable for a generation of consumers that have grown up always-digital with games.”

Mr. Gordon was one of the first employees to join the entrepreneur Trip Hawkins at the founding of EA in 1982, when computerized games were in their infancy. Kleiner Perkins was one of three venture capital firms that invested $2 million that year to get EA off the ground. Mr. Gordon’s wife was later a recruiter for Kleiner Perkins. Mr. Gordon serves on the board of directors of Amazon, one of Kleiner’s biggest successes.

After more than 25 years at EA, Mr. Gordon decided it was time for a job change. “I feel like I’ve done it all in games,” he said.

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