OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

An IPO is not an exit; it's actually a starting line for a company.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

The goal with every product we ship is to ensure it outperforms everything else available in the market.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

I learned to give autonomy to my leaders, believing that I should hire executives who are more like peers than subordinates.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

In the early days, we struggled to raise money, which taught us to focus on solving real problems and to build an efficient, profitable business from day one.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Every hardship we faced ultimately proved beneficial for our future success, reinforcing the idea that overcoming struggles can lead to growth.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

When we opened our platform to a wider audience, we found that self-selection by users led to better engagement and feedback than our initial closed beta approach.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

We avoided using the term 'monitoring' initially because it felt reductive; we aimed for a broader vision that included collaboration between development and operations teams.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Our approach to acquisitions focuses on finding companies whose founders want to build with us, rather than those looking to exit due to burnout.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

After acquiring a company, we implement a 3-6 month plan to show value quickly, creating urgency and confidence among both the new team and our existing staff.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

I emphasize the importance of qualitative feedback over quantitative data, as customer insights can often be more meaningful than mere numbers.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

In the early days, AI was considered a dirty word and often used as a buzzword, but now it's fashionable again, though its popularity may fluctuate over time.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

The biggest learning from applying machine learning is that precision matters more than recall; customers prefer insights that are accurate rather than being overwhelmed by false positives.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Incorporating AI into workflows presents challenges, particularly in building trust with users and ensuring that AI helps them progress rather than causing frustration.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

To build a customer-centric culture, it's essential to start with understanding the customer's problems rather than focusing solely on solutions or revenue.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Maintaining a culture of discipline and efficiency is crucial for scaling; it's important to avoid unnecessary complexity in the sales process to conserve resources.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Pricing strategy should focus on delivering value to customers, pushing the company to improve continuously rather than adopting a low-cost model that may compromise long-term viability.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

To avoid disruption from lower-cost competitors, it's vital to understand customer perspectives and ensure that the business model is sustainable and capable of delivering value over time. I think it's important to have a growth mindset and be humble, whether in front of customers or internally. When meeting with a customer, we should be there to learn about their problems, not to teach them how to do things.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Our culture at Datadog is described as low ego and low drama. We focus on being humble and listening to feedback, which helps maintain a collaborative environment.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

When hiring, we look for people who have a growth mindset, are humble, and are doers who can fix problems. It's essential to have a team that can get things done and is productive.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

It's crucial to maintain a culture that seeks out bad news. We focus on details and ensure that feedback loops are painful enough to be hard to ignore, which helps us face reality and improve.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Building relationships with investors is crucial. It's important to keep talking to potential investors even when you don't need their money, as they will build conviction in your company over time.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

When deciding whether to sell or scale, we consider if we believe we can grow the business another 10x and if we are willing to commit to another five years of hard work.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

For early-career professionals, it's essential to lean into AI tooling, as software development is being significantly augmented by AI, which will enhance productivity.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

Choosing New York over Silicon Valley has allowed us to focus more on real-world problems rather than getting caught up in the tech echo chamber, which has been beneficial for our business.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

In the early days, we were always scared of not getting it right and being out-executed by competitors, which drove us to focus hard on our early customers and their needs.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

I think the early challenges in fundraising were beneficial because they instilled a culture of discipline and efficiency that has contributed to our long-term success.

OP

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

I believe that being disciplined and profitable in the long run is beneficial. Companies that can maintain efficiency and discipline will fare better in changing market conditions.

Every Lesson From Scaling Datadog to $40B

Takeaways