John Malone: An Oral History

An oral history interview with John Malone conducted by Tryg Myhren. Malone discusses his extensive career in the cable industry, starting with his early experiences at General Instruments [01:02] and Bell Labs [04:57]. He recounts joining TCI [19:02], navigating its initial financial challenges [21:51], and the pivotal role of HBO and satellite technology [24:57]. The interview covers TCI's aggressive consolidation strategy [39:04], the growth of programming [25:56], and the creation of Liberty Media [46:39]. Malone also shares his perspectives on industry evolution, including digital compression [52:53], regulation [58:50], major deals like the proposed Bell Atlantic merger [01:09:22] and AT&T acquisition [01:15:59], Liberty's international expansion [01:24:14], and his overall reflections on the cable business [01:34:31].