Also speaking at the conference was Symantec chief executive John W. Thompson, whom Jackson compared with Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player in the major leagues. Thompson made headlines in 1999, when he took the helm at the security software maker just two days after Jackson had lambasted Silicon Valley's lack of diversity. During his speech, Thompson said that back then, he couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. He said he told an editor at the time, "Why don't you show up in two or three years? It will be the story of our success, not the story of our arrival." Four years later, Thompson told the crowd Symantec is growing despite the downturn. It projects growth of 9 to 10 percent this year and plans to hire 1500 people in 2003. "The fact that (Silicon) Valley is at a low point doesn't suggest there aren't opportunities," he said. Thompson said biotechnology, network management, and industry-specific customer relationship and enterprise management software represent some of the biggest openings in the tech industry. "There are opportunities for smart, young entrepreneurs," he told the crowd, noting that his company recently bought a start-up headed by a Hispanic for $135m, about £86m. Chuck Smith, chief executive of telecommunications company SBC West, urged the crowd to look for mentors and to mentor others. "As lucrative as my business is and as successful as SBC is, it doesn't matter, if there are people who have been left behind," he said. "We can make a difference with a little bit of creativity. When you go back to work tomorrow, remember how you got there."
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