Do You Know "Pinger"?

Greg Woock (left) and Joe Sipher,
Pinger's co-founders
(photo from Forbes)

Until this evening, I had no idea what "Pinger" was. It's still a little fuzzy to me, but millions of people are familiar with the firm and grateful for its eponymous product. As I understand it, Pinger essentially enables iPod users to text for free. The company makes money from mobile advertising displayed to its customers. The enterprise is not exactly small potatoes. According to Forbes, Pinger is the seventh largest phone carrier in the United States.

The brains behind the operation is Greg Woock. His background is a little different from the characteristic Silicon Valley profile, in that he's not an engineer nor does he have an MBA. If you're unfamiliar with Woock and with Pinger, take time to read the brief interview the interesting San Jose Mercury News reporter Peter Delevett recently conducted with Woock. You'll find, as I did, Woock is a breath of fresh air in the Valley's hothouse environment.