But first, he says, "I have got to do this again." In a perfect world, the next startup would be his "baby" -- focusing either on product design or on what he calls "human-machine interface and performance enhancement," which uses the Internet and robotics to help people remember more, think more creatively, or live longer.
Friends say that Tyler is happier than he has ever been. After a lifetime spent continuously reinventing himself, he has found a role that suits him. Entrepreneurship is, after all, the most egalitarian of undertakings: It doesn't matter where you come from, or what clothes you wear. It is a meritocracy, rewarding those who thrive on challenge.
But Tyler remains an outsider -- and always will. "He just can't feel comfortable in something for a very long time. It's just not him," says Petr?a Hoehn, a close friend of Tyler's who manages television operations for Martha Stewart Productions. "He is someone who passes through town very quickly, a guest for a given time."
A man with two suitcases who is prepared to toss those, too, into the sea -- just like a Viking.
Keith H. Hammonds (khammonds@fastcompany.com), a Fast Company senior editor, is based in New York City. Contact Troy Tyler by email (ttyler@smartrayinc.com).
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