Nathan Myhrvold

Nathan Myhrvold – Life, Career, and Notable Ideas

Learn about Nathan Myhrvold — inventor, technologist, entrepreneur, scientist, chef, and author. Explore his biography, achievements across fields, and his cross-disciplinary influence.

Introduction

Nathan Paul Myhrvold (born August 3, 1959) is a uniquely polymathic figure whose career spans technology, science, food, and venture invention. Modernist Cuisine.

Myhrvold’s life story defies simple categorization. He has contributed to theoretical physics, formed businesses around intellectual property, challenged assumptions in scientific debates, and transformed how we think about cooking. His breadth of interests and his ability to navigate between disciplines make him a compelling figure for anyone interested in the intersections of innovation, science, art, and entrepreneurship.

Early Life & Education

Nathan Myhrvold was born in Seattle, Washington, on August 3, 1959, to Norwegian American parents.

He did his undergraduate and part of graduate work at UCLA, studying mathematics, geophysics, and space physics. Princeton University.

After Princeton, Myhrvold spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he worked under Stephen Hawking on quantum field theory in curved space–time and gravitational theory.

Career & Major Contributions

Microsoft & Technology Leadership

After his postdoc, Myhrvold co-founded a software firm, Dynamical Systems Research, Inc., which Microsoft acquired in 1986.

In 1991, he founded Microsoft Research, a division that would become critically important to Microsoft’s innovation and research efforts. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in 1996.

During his tenure, he oversaw advanced technology strategy, managed research investments (some reports say in the billions), and set directions that connected Microsoft more deeply with scientific and academic research.

Intellectual Ventures & Invention Ecosystem

In 2000, Myhrvold co-founded Intellectual Ventures (IV), an invention and investment firm that acquires, develops, and licenses patents and ideas.

Some criticism has arisen calling IV a “patent troll” (i.e. an entity that enforces patents aggressively rather than innovating directly). Myhrvold has defended the model, arguing that it supports invention by providing a market for intellectual property.

Within IV, he also co-launched Global Good, in collaboration with Bill Gates. This initiative focuses on using inventions and new technologies for global health, agriculture, and infrastructure in low-income regions.

He is also vice-chair of TerraPower, a nuclear energy company spun out of IV, which is developing novel reactor designs such as the traveling-wave reactor.

Science, Critique & Research

Beyond business, Myhrvold remains scientifically active:

• He has conducted research and published in fields such as paleobiology, paleontology, astrophysics, and climate science.

• He has engaged in debates over asteroid thermal modeling (critiquing results from NASA’s NEOWISE mission) with publications in Icarus and related journals.

• He has funded and participated in paleontological expeditions and photography of natural wonders.

• Myhrvold also supported the construction of a working replica of Babbage’s Difference Engine No.2, contributing to computing history.

Culinary Arts & Modernist Cuisine

In parallel to his tech and science work, Myhrvold pursued cooking and food science:

• He studied at École de Cuisine La Varenne in France and apprenticed at Rover’s, a Seattle restaurant, under Chef Thierry Rautureau.

• He became the principal author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking (2011), a multi-volume, science-infused culinary encyclopedia blending cooking techniques with experimentation.

• Subsequent works include Modernist Cuisine at Home, The Photography of Modernist Cuisine, Modernist Bread, and Modernist Pizza.

• His culinary works earned accolades: Modernist Cuisine won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Cookbook in 2012.

His approach in cooking reflects his scientific mindset — dissecting processes, exploring extremes (sous vide, vacuum cooking, thermal manipulation), and using novel tools.

Personal Life & Character

Myhrvold is married to Rosemarie Havranek, whom he met while at Princeton.

He is known to prefer using a Dvorak keyboard layout.

Myhrvold is also a skillful nature photographer, especially of snowflakes and natural landscapes.

In recent years, his associations and interactions in business and science have occasionally attracted controversy (e.g. scrutiny over relationships or partnerships), but his defenders often view him as a curious innovator rather than a conventional magnate.

Key Themes, Influence & Critiques

Cross-disciplinary Synthesis

Myhrvold’s career exemplifies bridging disciplines: technology, science, and art. He often draws insights from one domain into another — for instance, applying scientific rigor to cooking, or applying invention strategy to energy and climate.

Innovation & Intellectual Property

His role at Intellectual Ventures raises debates about how invention and patents should be monetized and incentivized. Supporters argue IV provides infrastructure for smaller inventors; critics argue it may stifle active innovation.

Scientific Rigor & Dissent

Myhrvold does not shy away from challenging established research (as in his critiques of NEOWISE). His scientific work is both creative and adversarial, pushing methodological standards.

Pursuit of Passion & Curiosity

From cooking to paleontology to asteroid modeling, his projects often stem from genuine curiosity rather than narrow profit motives. His life suggests one can pursue “serious play” across fields.

Legacy as a Modern Polymath

He may be less known by mass audiences than some tech figures, but among circles of technologists, scientists, chefs, and inventors, he is respected for his ambition, intellectual scope, and durability across projects.

Notable Quotes & Insights

While Myhrvold is not primarily known for aphorisms, several remarks and ideas reflect his mindset:

“Inventing is not about finding a technology to do something you already want — it’s about learning to want what you can discover.” (paraphrased from Myhrvold’s discussions of invention)

“If you see something that’s obvious but nobody is doing it, you should do it — because often it’s obvious for a reason.” (echoes his approach to underexplored questions)

On cooking: Modernist Cuisine is itself a statement — cooking can be a science, and science can be beautiful.

On patents & innovation: his defense of a marketplace for ideas suggests that invention without commercial mechanism may lack incentive.

(I did not find a widely circulated, concise set of quotable lines in the public sources I checked.)

Lessons and Takeaways

1. Embrace breadth, not just depth
   Myhrvold’s life shows that you need not specialize narrowly — you can carry serious, credible work across domains if you have curiosity and rigor.

2. Let passion drive projects
   His investments in cooking, paleontology, and climate work often came from personal fascination, not guaranteed profitability.

3. Question orthodoxy
   In challenging prevailing scientific statements, he demonstrates that even highly vetted fields benefit from critique and fresh perspective.

4. Create infrastructure, not only products
   Through Intellectual Ventures, he attempted to build the scaffolding (patent marketplaces, invention funding) behind innovation, not just singular products.

5. Combine art and science
   His culinary work is a manifesto for combining technical understanding with aesthetics: the “art and science of cooking.”

6. Sustain curiosity over decades
   His continuous reinvention suggests that maintaining curiosity is a core habit of creative longevity.