Tom was educated at Georgetown University, Yale University and the Sorbonne. He enjoys filmmaking, movies, DVD's, science fiction and hiking. In 1980 he acted in the feature film, My Bodyguard. He lives in San Francisco.

Tom is Founder and Chairman of PlanetOut Corporation, the largest online community for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people worldwide. It recently received YahooInternet Life magazine's Best of the Best '98. In addition, Tom received a medal for Outstanding Innovation in Information Technology from the ComputerWorld/Smithsonian Awards.

PlanetOut was recently named one of Upside's 100 hottest private companies, and Tom was named one of the Upside 100 most influential people in Silicon Valley. Previously, Tom served as President and CEO of PlanetOut and held senior marketing and sales posts at SuperMac, Radius, Farallon and the Voyager Company.

Tom is also creator, co-founder and board member of Digital Queers, an influential non-profit made up of technology professionals who raise money to equip lesbian and gay civil rights organization with modern computer technology. DQ also trains activists nationwide how to use computer and online technology in their work.

DQ recently merged with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The combined organization will continue DQ's work, with DQ making up GLAAD's Silicon Valley Wing. Tom also co-founded the Yale Macintosh Users' Group (1984); and the New Media Centers program, which helps college campuses establish New Media learning centers on their campuses.

Tom writes articles for the Advocate and contributed a chapter, with Karen Wickre, to Out in All Directions: A Gay and Lesbian Almanac (Warner Books, 1996) and frequently speaks at industry events. Tom is also an accomplished stand-up comic. His original satires, which close the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conferences, receive standing ovations year after year.