Frank Slootman Beyond Snowflake: One of the Most Respected CEOs

Frank Slootman is a figure in the tech world who’s as fascinating as he is formidable, and has throughout his career grown into one of the most respected CEOs in business. Over the past 20 years he’s taken over and successfully turned around three different companies: Data Domain, ServiceNow, and most recently, Snowflake, and he just announced his step-down from the CEO position of the latter. So, while congratulating him on an incredible run in the business world, let’s uncover his story in more detail.

• Proven leadership: Frank Slootman's track record of transforming companies like Data Domain, ServiceNow, and Snowflake into industry leaders showcases his exceptional ability to drive significant growth and execute successful IPOs.

• Strategic vision for Snowflake: At Snowflake, Slootman's strategic foresight was instrumental in leveraging AI and optimizing the cloud data platform, significantly enhancing the company's innovative edge and market positioning.

• Operational excellence: His emphasis on operational efficiency and his decisive, rapid approach to leadership ensured Snowflake's sustained high performance, scalability, and responsiveness to technological advancements.

• Innovative hiring philosophy: Slootman's unique approach to building teams – focusing on the work and results rather than conventional interviews – highlights his pragmatic method to ensure the right talent aligns with the company's strategic goals.

Born in the Netherlands, Slootman’s early life was shaped by an education in economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His move to the U.S. in 1982 then marked the beginning of a career that would see him revitalize several companies, always leaving them more robust than he found them. His stints at companies like Data Domain and ServiceNow were game-changers, not just for the companies but for the industry at large.

At Data Domain, Slootman was involved in steering the company away from potential obscurity to becoming a dominant player in the data storage industry, eventually leading to being acquired by EMC for $2.4 billion in 2009.

As for ServiceNow, Slootman again found success, transforming the enterprise into a powerhouse in the software domain. His continuous focus on execution propelled the company to a $14 billion valuation by the time he left in 2017, marking another high point in his career.

At Snowflake, Slootman played a pivotal role in steering the company through a period of significant growth and transformation. Under his leadership, Snowflake honed its focus on leveraging AI with its vast data resources.

Slootman joined Snowflake due to the unique potential he saw in the company. His decision was influenced by Snowflake’s innovative approach to data warehousing, its strong growth prospects, and the chance to lead a company that was on the brink of redefining the cloud data platform sector. Slootman was attracted by the challenge of scaling Snowflake to its full potential, leveraging his extensive experience in leading tech companies through periods of significant growth​​.

1. Leadership and IPO: He was instrumental in preparing Snowflake for its highly successful IPO, which is still to date one of the largest software IPOs in history.

2. Expanding market reach: He guided the company in expanding its market presence, focusing on harnessing the power of cloud-based data warehousing and analytics. This involved refining the company’s core product offerings, enhancing its customer service, and ensuring that Snowflake stayed ahead of technological advancements.

3. Innovation: Under Slootman’s leadership, Snowflake emphasized innovation, particularly in areas like AI and machine learning, to leverage the vast amounts of data managed on its platform.

4. Operational Excellence: He was known for his focus on operational efficiency, ensuring that Snowflake maintained high performance, scalability, and reliability standards. His leadership ensured that the company’s cloud data platform could meet the growing demands of customers and adapt to the evolving landscape of cloud computing and data analytics.

Slootman’s leadership style can be compared to that of a no-nonsense military general who prioritizes mission over everything else. He’s known for his straightforward, sometimes blunt, communication, focusing intensely on fixing what’s broken rather than basking in what’s working. This approach has helped him steer companies through rapid growth and success. His tenure at Snowflake, which included leading one of the largest software IPOs in history – blowing past the initial valuation of little over $33 billion and ending the day with a market cap of almost $70 billion – is just one of the many examples of his ability of guiding companies through significant change.

Frank participated in an episode of the Invest Like the Best podcast in 2022, through which we get hands-on insights into how he thinks about complex topics like, for example, building teams. Interestingly, Frank’s approach is as strategic as its swift, emphasizing the critical importance of evaluating the team’s effectiveness through the quality of their work rather than personal impression. And doing so impatiently.

Slootman’s way of working first involves firmly anchoring his ideas with the boards, making sure that they buy into the changes he’s planning on making. Snowflake provides a concrete example of this, and interestingly, all changes there were made during Slootman’s first 90 days. Important according to him, because while ripping the band-aid off directly is unsettling to the organization, it creates clarity sooner when you get through it.

Naturally, as this process involves letting the non-functional leaders go, it brings up the question of how he’s finding replacements to the positions. And as you might’ve thought, Slootman finds interviews not so beneficial for evaluating potential candidates. He states that “It’s like two dogs sniffing each other, deciding whether they can even get through the door or not. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but you’re going to base the hiring decision on that. You’re insane.”

How it should be done however, he says, is by talking to everyone you possibly can talk to: people that have lived with the person, a superior, subordinate, or peer. Just asking what the person was like? What was great? What was not so great? And very quickly, this gives you a good picture of both the performance and the behavioral end.

His book “Amp It Up,” published in 2022, encapsulates Slootman’s leadership philosophy, emphasizing the importance of high standards, alignment, focus, pace, and strategic transformation. Slootman advocates for a relentless chase for excellence, insisting that organizations can achieve remarkable success by amping up urgency, energy, and focus. He’s also a proponent of lean, efficient teams over bloated workforces, believing that true growth comes from a continuous drive towards companies’ mission, not from chasing the trappings of success.

Frank Slootman’s illustrious career, marked by his transformative leadership at Data Domain, ServiceNow, and Snowflake, reflects a legacy of strategic innovation and exceptional execution. His decisive approach to team-building and his focus on amplifying company performance continue to inspire leaders all over the world. As he steps down from Snowflake, his enduring impact on the tech industry and his insights – among other things captured in “Amp It Up” – remain invaluable resources for aspiring leaders aiming to navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape.