Interviewees, Andrew Butler, Marilyn Crowell and Ronald Wisnia; Interviewer, David Shayt, National Museum of American History
name: label: Collection Interviewer
content: Shayt, David H.
label: Collection Creator
content: Wedge Innovations
setName: label: See more items in
content: Wedge Innovations Records
label: See more items in
content: Wedge Innovations Records / Series 7: Corporate Culture
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Sound recording (Duration 1 hour)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1995 June 20
container: label: Container
content: Box 26, Item 534.4
label: Container
content: Box 25, Item 534.4
label: Container
content: Box 24, Item 534.4
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Moving Images
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Location: Palo Alto, California 

Side one is a continuation of the conversation with Andrew Butler begun on tape 3. Butler discusses how the marketing research for the SmartLevel influenced its design, the influence of venture capital on Wedge Innovations, the patent process, and financing a start-up company. He also discusses his childhood, sailing the Pacific Ocean, the influence of Stanford University, his work before Wedge Innovations, the typical life and work style of people in the Silicon Valley, and the nature of entrepreneurship.

Side two is an interview with Andrew Butler with occasional comments made by Marilyn Crowell, his former secretary, and Ronald Wisnia, a former engineer at Wedge Innovations. Since this interview takes place in a public place, there is some background noise that makes listening difficult. Butler discusses the move of Wedge Innovations to its San Jose facility and its ensuing costs, venture capitalists, his assessment of Wedge's success and failure, his assessment of the consumer market for the SmartLevel, the proposed development of the "Smart Tool" line of products, the deal with Bosch, Rick Shade, and the decision to make the WedgeLevel rails from teak.