Leadership, Small Bets, and a Lens Cleaner: Lessons from creating Xfinity WiFi

Leadership, Small Bets, and a Lens Cleaner: Lessons from creating Xfinity WiFi

The other day, I found a lens cleaner cloth tucked away in my desk drawer. It was a quirky little piece of swag from the launch of Xfinity WiFi hotspots. Honestly, I didn’t think I was the sentimental type, but there it was—like a tiny time capsule from a project that shaped my career. Of course, I also actually need it now more than ever, thanks to years of squinting at small screens. ( Jim Wicks and Roger Jellicoe : those tiny screens we designed into the Motorola Razr definitely took their toll).

What really struck me wasn’t just the cloth—it was the text printed on it: “Xfinity WiFi customers have access to 20,000 hotspots at no extra cost.” Out of curiosity, I checked the website listed on the cloth. Sure enough, Xfinity WiFi is going strong— but now, there are millions of hotspots. This got me thinking: How did we go from a wild idea to a network of millions of locations?

The answer? Guided strategic bets. And that’s one of the most important leadership lessons I learned working with Michael Angelakis.

Launching Xfinity WiFi: A Wild Idea with Real Payoff

Roughly 14 years ago, I pitched the concept for Xfinity WiFi. At the time, the idea of an out-of-home WiFi network seemed… well, a little crazy. The plan was to install outdoor WiFi access points and then expand quickly by carving out a portion of in-home / small business WiFi networks to power public hotspots. Ambitious? Definitely. Practical? Possible? Not everyone thought so.

Michael Angelakis— Comcast CFO at the time and now the founder of Atairos Private Equity — understood that big ideas often start small. He encouraged us to develop proof points and partnerships vs. chasing full approval of a massive, nationwide rollout.  Michael approved and funded a test run along the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, one of the busiest train routes in the U.S.

That experiment was a turning point. It gave us the chance to validate the concept without overcommitting resources—and it taught me a lasting lesson about decision-making and leadership:

Sometimes, the smartest way to make a big bet is to start small.

The Power of Strategic Leadership and Small Wagers

Our dream was to build a nationwide out of home WiFi network, but there were plenty of obstacles along the way:

• There’s no budget for this right now.
• There’s no way to prove ROI.
• Customers may not immediately buy into this approach

Rather than get stuck in analysis paralysis, Michael Angelakis encouraged us to start with a small, manageable pilot. Likely born from his time at Providence Equity Partners , Michaels's approach—placing small wagers that could scale—became the key to Xfinity WiFi’s eventual success.

It’s an approach I’ve embraced ever since. I’ve written more about this concept in my article: Decision-Making: How to Divide Big Choices into Small Wagers. The ability to test, learn, and iterate has proven invaluable—not just in launching networks but in leading organizations.

Big Wins Start with Small Bets

This approach isn’t just relevant in business—it’s everywhere. Taylor Swift re-recorded her music catalog to reclaim ownership, but she didn’t drop every album at once. She released them one by one, using each launch to build excitement, momentum, and fan engagement. And, thanks to my daughter, I’ve purchased every single one.

Similarly, Shake Shack started as a small stand in Madison Square Park. Rather than rushing into rapid expansion, the company refined its concept, location by location, until it became the global brand it is today.

The same principle applied to Xfinity WiFi. What began as a handful of hotspots on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor evolved into millions of access points and national roaming agreements. These examples show that big wins come from small, thoughtful steps—and from leaders who understand how to manage both risk and reward.

A Masterclass in Leadership—and a Lens Cleaner Rediscovered

Building Xfinity WiFi wasn’t just about the technology—it was about learning how to lead boldly yet thoughtfully. The experience taught me how to balance vision with precision, a skill I’ve carried forward into other roles and continue to apply when with CEOs through Edison Partners portfolio companies.

Working on this project also gave me the chance to collaborate with some incredible people. We couldn’t have achieved what we did without the hard work of so many colleagues and partners— these included:

Warren K. , Franklyn Athias , Sam Chernak , Cole Reinwand , James V Baber , Eileen Diskin , Geoff Doyle , Bernard Herscovici , Kenneth Falkenstein , and Clifton Lowery

Their dedication, and many others I likely missed, made bold ideas a reality.

But leadership isn’t a static achievement—it’s a constant evolution. And I remembered that while writing this article.

How I Got That Lens Cleaner—and What It Taught Me About Leadership

The lens cleaner wasn’t actually a leftover from the marketing launch of Xfinity WiFi. A year and a half ago, I attended an innovation and technology conference called RALLY in Indiana. I was there as a judge and speaker, and while I was at the event, Geoff Doyle —a former colleague at Comcast—found me.

Geoff is now an entrepreneur, the founder of Bettor Vision , an app that aggregates sports betting and fantasy sports accounts into one platform. It’s a game-changer for sports fans, even though my focus these days is more on business bets.

When Geoff handed me the lens cleaner he saved for a decade, it came with a thank you. My first instinct was to apologize. I knew I had been a tough boss back when he worked for me. To be honest, back then I was still growing into my leadership role — and focused mostly on how to get things done. Those are two very different things.

Geoff stopped me and said, “Yeah, you were tough. But you challenged me and taught me how to see things differently. You had a vision, and you followed through.”

He even told me he used to try to beat me to the office in the mornings—but I was always there first. That competitiveness and persistence, he said, helped spark his entrepreneurial spirit.

In that moment, I learned something about leadership from Geoff, too: As leaders, we don’t always realize the impact we have on others. And we certainly don’t get to control it. But our actions—more than our words—become a model for others to follow.

Looking Back—and Looking Forward

Writing this article reminded me that leadership is a cycle, always evolving. Just as I learned from Michael Angelakis, Geoff learned from me—and now I find myself learning from Geoff. That’s the beauty of leadership: it’s a never-ending journey of growth, where we challenge, teach, and inspire one another.

And just like that old lens cleaner cloth, these lessons stick with us. As I prepare for my next chapter in leadership, I’ll keep leaning on those same principles: Start small, learn fast, and scale smart.

Small Bets, Big Wins

Whether you’re launching a WiFi network or building a new business, the same rule applies: Start small, stay curious, and scale thoughtfully. Success isn’t about taking massive leaps—it’s about making smart bets, learning from the results, and building momentum and relationships along the way.

And if you happen to find an old piece of swag in your desk drawer? Don’t dismiss it—it might just remind you of the small moments and lessons that made the biggest difference.