The Logan Bartlett Show

What does it take to scale a company from an idea to a $13B industry leader? In my latest episode, Okta CEO Todd McKinnon dives into the essential lessons he’s learned on high-stakes decision-making, managing up to the board, and competing against tech giants like Microsoft.Todd also reflects on his journey to founding Okta, his bold choice to team up with a co-founder he hardly knew, and the motivations that have fueled him for over seven years as a public company CEO. Some key takeaways… [0:00] Intro[0:33] Todd McKinnon's Early Career and Founding Okta[1:38] Challenges and Psychological Shifts in Leadership[2:49] Decision Making and Company Culture[6:10] Milestones and Early Successes[18:03] The Importance of Market Timing[30:34] Hiring and Building a Strong Team[39:22] Setting Expectations with Board Members[40:50] The Shift in Board Dynamics[41:41] Maintaining Context and Strategic Input[43:15] Navigating Public Company Governance[45:21] Trusting Instincts and Founder Mode[47:11] Breaking Out of the Echo Chamber[51:00] The Importance of Prioritization[53:05] The Loneliness of Innovation[1:05:33] The Role of a CEO in Decision Making[1:18:17] The Journey to IPO and Beyond  Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Sam Dewees and JR Bohannon Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

Nine months into his role as Snowflake’s CEO, Sridhar Ramaswamy sat down for a candid discussion on the journey so far & what’s ahead.He uncovered details about his transition to Snowflake CEO, the operational changes he’s put in place to accelerate product development, and his bold predictions for AI’s future—along with how he’s guiding a vision for Snowflake to fit into that landscape.Sridhar also reflects on how his leadership has evolved, from leading a major Google unit to founding Neeva (acquired by Salesforce) and now running Snowflake. [0:00] Intro[0:56] Sridhar’s Journey to Snowflake[3:37] Snowflake's AI Vision and Cortex AI[10:35] Innovative Uses of AI at Snowflake[15:49] Challenges and Future of AI in Business[21:27] Snowflake's Long-Term AI Aspirations[25:04] Predictable and Unpredictable Aspects of AI[26:20] Autonomous Agents and AI Predictions[27:01] Market Consolidation in AI[29:54] Journey into AI and Early Experiences[31:21] The Evolution of AI Models[32:06] Building Neeva and AI Search Engines[36:16] Leadership and Product Development at Snowflake[40:45] Setting Goals and Accountability[43:25] Leadership Style and Cultural Foundations[47:25] Career Advice and Finding Your Path  Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Sam Dewees and JR Bohannon Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

Evan Goldberg has been leading NetSuite for 26 years and counting. In this episode, Evan reflects on the journey of building NetSuite—from launching it with Larry Ellison’s support, to scaling through its IPO, and eventually being acquired by Oracle for $9.3B. He shares his leadership philosophies around humor and empathy, lessons learned from Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff, and why he still feels passionate about the business after all these years. [0:00] Intro[1:13] Lessons from Economic Crises[2:22] The Importance of Existing Customers[4:24] Founding and Early Days of NetSuite[6:32] The Pivot to Business Software[10:26] NetSuite's Growth and Customizability[20:26] AI and the Future of NetSuite[32:24] The Role of Customizability in NetSuite's Success[38:49] Balancing Profitability and Growth[40:46] Leadership Evolution and Management Philosophy[46:59] The Importance of Empathy in Leadership[48:42] Navigating Hypergrowth and Tough Decisions[51:11] Consumer Quality in Enterprise Software[52:31] Oracle's Transformation and Redwood Design System[55:57] Maintaining Focus Amid Distractions[59:39] Company Culture and Humor[1:03:03] NetSuite's Unique Position within Oracle[1:10:15] Involvement with the V Foundation[1:13:52] Reflections on Founding and Leadership[1:16:38] Conclusion and Final Thoughts  Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Sam Dewees and JR Bohannon Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

Drew Houston has now been CEO of Dropbox for over 17 years. In my latest conversation, he opens up about the pivotal leadership lessons he's learned, the mistakes that shaped the company, and the true challenges of going head-to-head with big tech. We also dive into the highs and lows of fundraising, how valuations can make or break a company trajectory, and discuss the opportunities AI presents for the future of work. [0:00] Intro[0:44] AI Opportunities for Dropbox[5:57] Dropbox's AI Principles[7:52] Introducing Dropbox Dash[9:18] AI Enhancements in Search[12:33] Personal Productivity with AI[17:10] Memo-First Culture at Dropbox[22:15] Reflections on Leadership and Growth[31:21] Early Challenges and Viral Growth[48:22] Facing Fierce Competition[51:51] Strategic Shift to Collaboration[53:20] Navigating Internal Challenges[55:18] Reevaluating Productivity[1:03:07] The Birth of Dash[1:16:32] You Don't Want to Feel Like a Victim[1:30:29] Closing Thoughts and Lessons Learned  Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Sam Dewees and JR Bohannon Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.