Dennis A. Turner

   

Dennis Andrew Turner
Turner in 2016
Born	(1969-12-15) December 15, 1969 East Allen, Lansing, Superior
Citizenship	Superior  • Sierra
Alma mater	University of Sierra, Santa Cruz (BA)
Years active	1987–present
Known for	Pioneer of the pocket-sized computer revolution with Jeff Robak Pioneer of the electric car revolution of the 2010s Co-creator of the U3, U4 and ucard
Title	Co-founder, chairman, and CEO of U, Inc.

Dennis Andrew Turner (born (1969-12-15)December 15, 1969), better known as Dennis A. Turner, is a Sierran-Superian businessman, inventor, and computer programmer best known for co-founding the technology giant U, Inc. Turner was also the founder of Syncro, and chairman of Brite. He was a pioneer of the pocket-sized computer revolution of the 1990s, along with his early business partner and fellow U co-founder Jeff Robak. He has overseen the rise of U, Inc. becoming one of the most highly valued corporations ever, co-creating the ucard, as well as pioneering 21st century electric vehicle technology.

Turner was born and raised in East Allen, Lansing, before moving with his family to Santa Clara, settling in Cupertino. He was the seventh of eight children, his father was a repossession agent whilst his mother worked as a bookkeeper. As a child Turner had an early interest for electronics, picking apart and modifying the family's Syzygy VCS. He later learned to program on his elementary school's personal computer, and as a teenager learned assembly language on the family's knockoff 8-bit home computer. He attended the University of Sierra, Santa Cruz in 1987, graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1990. The same year he traveled through India, seeking enlightenment before subsequently studying Zen Buddhism. He and Robak co-founded U, Inc in 1992 to further develop their first turnkey PDA, the U2. Together the two gained considerable fame and wealth from their successful and mass produced U3. He oversaw the development and subsequent production of the convergent pager, the U4, released in 1999.

In 2000, Turner departed from U, Inc. following a power struggle with the company's then-CEO Wes Gallagher. Turner brought with him several employees to his startup Brite, a computer animation studio that pioneered digital filmmaking, subsequently releasing over 20 films since. In 2002 he founded Syncro, a company specializing in digitally operated milling machines and multiaxis machining. He rejoined U, Inc in 2004 as CEO after the company acquired Brite. He assisted Robak in turning the then failing U, Inc. around through both restructuring and by developing and releasing the highly successful ucard series of smartcards. He later oversaw the development of the company's automobile brand go, and the creation of the world's first affordable long-range EV, the Go 1.

Personal life

Turner's estate at the edge of the Mojave desert covers over 50 square miles.

Lifestyle

Turner's highly publicized lifestyle is earmarked by minimalism and asceticism, according to journalist and lifestyle coach Jill Acave. He first attracted the attention of the media in 2007, when announcing the ucard, as his choice of clothes, a black turtleneck and slim-fit jeans, was considered unconventionally casual. Turner has since continued to wear similar outfits during official announcements. He has stated in interviews that he has reduced his wardrobe to less than five outfits. He is known for his unusual work balance, reportedly waking up at 5 am and working until 9 pm, a method he refers to as 8-16 (referring to eight hours of rest and sixteen hours of work). He maintained this lifestyle until 2016 when he experienced a burnout, he has since resorted to a more conventional work schedule. The public announcement of his six-month sick leave temporarily caused U, Inc. stock to go down 40% in value. He has advocated for a juice-centric diet, reportedly drinking two glasses of cranberry juice per day.

Wealth

Forbes estimated the wealth of Turner to be over $40 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in Anglo-America. According financial analysts most of his wealth lies in U, Inc. shares, he currently owns roughly 11% of the company's stock. Turner has maintained privacy regarding his wealth, but has stated that it is "a significant amount." He has expressed a lack of interest in monetary gain, claiming to live ascetically, with few personal possessions. When asked in a 2019 interview, Turner stated that his most expensive item, excluding his estate, is his Go 4 car. Though some have praised his lack of interest in wealth, others have criticized his statements as false; political pundit John Reed posited that "there is no way to claim to live ascetically, other than to pretend, when you own a $60 million dollar estate."

Religion

Turner is publicly known for his religiosity. He has stated that he considers himself a devout Christian, attending early morning Sunday service. He is a member of the Moravian Church and claims to adhere to Christian universalist principles. Raised in a Catholic home, he rebelled against his father's religiosity in his teens, before traveling to India and discovering Zen Buddhism. Though he never converted to Buddhism, he has referred to the religion as "wonderfully spiritual", commenting that "...though I in hindsight have come to see that I was just looking for the Christian salvation, and I have found it, only in another form than my father has." He has encouraged employees at U, Inc to adhere to a "Christian lifestyle", and has publicly stated that his companies reflect the "values of Christ". After the human relations division of U, Inc. raised concerns, he clarified that the company was open to adherents of all religions.

Relationships

Turner stated in 2012 that he identified as asexual, attributing his productivity to the orientation. In an interview, he stated that "[... and] I've also heard about this, that people think about sex about 400 times every day, and I thought, that's crazy, that is truly insane." He has described his orientation as a "relief" and a "blessing", claiming that it allows him to "focus on greater things."