26 Years of Operating Lessons Running NetSuite
26 Years of Operating Lessons Running NetSuite
EP 120 of The Logan Bartlett Show: Untold stories from tech's inner circle
Evan Goldberg has been leading NetSuite for 26 years and counting. In my latest conversation, 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. A few takeaways for maintaining motivation and durability for the long haul.
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✉️ Episode Memo
→ Evan’s #1 factor for management success
Evan believes empathy is the #1 factor in both effective management and building products that genuinely serve customers. It can only come from truly listening, so leaders need to ask open-ended questions and give people space to share natural thoughts. In his 1:1 meetings, Evan often surprises people by asking how they’re feeling about life in general and their role at work. These unexpected conversations help uncover potential issues early and keep him connected to how his team feels about their work and the company.
→ Change comes during a crisis
When business is booming, there’s little time for reflection. But when things slow down due to challenges like economic downturns, that’s when real opportunities for change arise. The saying "never let a crisis go to waste" applies here—smart adjustments made in tough times often lead to lasting improvements. Looking back, many of the changes NetSuite made during crises became essential to their long-term success.
For example, during the 2008-09 financial crisis, Evan had a lightbulb moment about the value of focusing on existing customers. While it always feels tempting to chase new customers, partnering closely with existing customers can be just as, if not more, valuable (even for startups). NetSuite customers were looking for ways to cut costs during the crisis, and NetSuite adapted by creating an entire organization focused on account management to maximize value for existing customers. The team continues to be important today.
→ Humor as a management tool
To Evan, humor is a huge part of NetSuite’s culture, and he believes in having fun, humorous experiences, no matter how hard you're working. He focuses on hiring people you'd genuinely enjoy spending time with and can laugh alongside. At NetSuite, they've embraced quirky details like their mascot, Sweet Stanley, and fun office decor like "Sweeties" cereal boxes. For Evan, if there's no room for humor, work becomes soul-sucking. Injecting fun into the workplace has helped maintain energy in hard work, and it repels those who don’t want to have a good time.
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