Due to a problem with his credentials, Cone got a job as an advertising clerk with the San Francisco Examiner rather than a teaching fellowship.
In 1928, Cone left the paper for an advertising agency, thus embarking on a career that would leave an indelible mark on his life.
Despite health problems stemming from an over-active pancreas, Cone steadily rose up the corporate ladder, eventually impressing the head of the firm, Albert Lasker.
In 1941, Lasker wished to retire and liquidate Lord and Thomas, but he passed off the bulk of the agency's clients to three of his rising stars; Emerson Foote, Don Belding, and Cone.
He is sometimes called the "father of modern advertising" and is a member of the American National Business Hall of Fame.