Bing Gordon

From a struggling startup to a gaming giant: Bing Gordon’s EA odyssey.

Bing Gordon, co-founder of Electronic Arts, joins Eden Chen and Kevin Zhang to share his journey from a sports-obsessed kid in suburban Detroit to a pioneer of the modern gaming industry. Gordon details EA’s tumultuous early years, including surviving platform shifts, cash shortages, and the breakthrough development of EA Sports and the Madden franchise. His candid account covers critical pivots, leadership challenges, and the company’s path to its successful IPO in 1989.

Gordon also discusses his transition to venture capital at Kleiner Perkins, where he invested in companies like Amazon, Zynga, and Duolingo. Drawing from decades of experience working with founders, he shares how to identify exceptional talent, maintain mission focus during scaling challenges, and why storytelling and vision endure.

Bing Gordon co-founded Electronic Arts in 1982, building the company from selling games in baggies with mimeographed documentation into a gaming empire. As EA’s Chief Creative Officer, he architected its brand strategy, including the “Can a computer make you cry?” campaign and the creation of EA Sports, masterminded the Madden NFL franchise, and guided EA to its 1989 IPO, before joining Kleiner Perkins in 2008.

Discussion points#

• (00:00) Bing’s journey from sports-obsessed youth to EA co-founder, childhood game creation, and meeting Trip Hawkins
• (13:56) Building EA as a publisher, recruiting “software artists,” and navigating industry crashes and platform changes
• (25:10) Nintendo’s return and EA’s console pivot, overcoming retailer resistance, the Sega Genesis opportunity, and reverse-engineering for market entry
• (34:42) Surviving financial struggles, managing cash shortages, bridge financing, and the path to EA’s IPO in 1989
• (40:34) The birth of Madden and sports licensing, convincing John Madden, and building EA Sports
• (47:01) Transition to venture capital, recognizing digital distribution trends, freemium models, and joining Kleiner Perkins
• (54:14) Leadership philosophy and the “Stanley Cup” model, blending veterans, mid-career talent, and energetic youth
• (57:44) Identifying exceptional founders, evaluating motivation, learning ability, storytelling, and mission-driven leadership
• (1:06:02) Gaming as meaning creation, the cultural significance of games beyond entertainment
• (1:17:35) Lightning round, productivity hacks, lessons from mentors, and advice to his younger self