The tech CEO carousel is just starting; Here’s why
Source | LinkedIn | Larry Dignan
Enterprise software is starting to look like the coaching carousel in the NFL or pick your sports league.
Bill McDermott announces he’s leaving SAP and winds up at ServiceNow days later. ServiceNow CEO John Donahoe winds up at Nike. Former ServiceNow CEO Frank Slootman is now leading cloud data warehouse player Snowflake.
I’m willing to bet that this CEO carousel is just starting. Why? Digital transformation.
Like any sports team, there comes a time when the leadership has to go. Perhaps the team was led by a “player’s coach” and lost discipline. Enter the hard ass disciplinarian.
Technology isn’t much different. McDermott is a master of sales, works M&A and knows how to grow. At ServiceNow, McDermott’s playbook and network works well. But more interesting is Donahoe’s move to Nike. The Nike press release is all about its direct to consumer business and how Donahoe’s tech leadership and knowledge of e-commerce (he used to run eBay too) can be handy for the company.