Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman on moving the needle, win-first culture & managing burnout | E1689
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2023
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Frank Slootman joins Jason for another incredible conversation that ranges from the management shift in Silicon Valley (1:08) to how to know if you’re moving the dial in your organization (9:59). Then, they discuss Frank’s hiring philosophy and how to create a winning relationship between an executive and their direct reports (27:05). Finally, they discuss managing burnout and creating security for yourself (46:33).
(0:00) Molly kicks off the show
(1:08) Layoffs + the management shift in Silicon Valley
(8:29) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups
(9:59) How to know if you are moving the dial and moving at a fast pace
(18:36) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist
(20:09) Dealing with recessions and countering the media frenzy
(27:05) Frank’s definition of culture and hiring for enthusiasm
(32:32) The relationship between an executive and their employees
(35:49) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20
(37:19) Assessing performance, hiring the right people, and being thoughtful
(41:56) Starting with a great product
(46:33) Managing burnout and creating security
(56:49) Consumption-based pricing + acquisitions
(1:00:30) Frank’s thoughts on AI
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everybody. Happy Thursday on Twist. We have a treat for you. Might as well be Friday. |
| 0:05.4 | Jason is joined by the general. That's right. Frank Sleutman, the CEO of Snowflake, is here to drop some truth bombs. |
| 0:12.6 | Like he does. They have an all-encompassing discussion about the layoffs happening in tech, |
| 0:17.5 | slightly unexpected takes from the general there. Building a culture of A-players, |
| 0:23.0 | how to move the dial at your startup or your company of any size, |
| 0:27.0 | how to manage burnout, and a lot more. It is going to be an amazing conversation. Stick with us. |
| 0:32.9 | This weekend's startups is brought to you by Masterclass. Learn from the world's best minds, |
| 0:38.3 | anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. Get 15% off an annual membership to Masterclass |
| 0:44.1 | at masterclass.com slash startups. Contra is a commission-free marketplace for freelancers and |
| 0:50.5 | independent creators. Get $500 off your first hire at Contra.com slash Twist. |
| 0:56.5 | And House of Macadamias is the next big health trend. Get 20% off your first purchase at House |
| 1:03.2 | of Macadamias.com slash Twist by using the code Twist20. All right, Frank Sleutman's back with us. |
| 1:09.8 | He's the CEO of Snowflake. It's a cloud-based database for him. You all know it. You joined it 2019, |
| 1:15.7 | took a public in 2020. It's been on a tear growing at a pace that would make growth stocks |
| 1:24.3 | feel slow. Yeah, right? In our industry, you have the standard company trying to grow 10% |
| 1:29.2 | a year. We got growth stocks growing to 20. What is Snowflake growing at? Because we're in a recession |
| 1:34.9 | here. Last time we talked, we were in a booming market. So that's going to be, I think, a focus |
| 1:38.2 | of our discussion. Welcome back to the program. General Sleutman. Thank you. Good to be back. |
| 1:46.4 | What's growth like now for Snowflake? Have you been hit by these crazy headwinds in the industry? |
| 1:52.4 | Or does the mission continue? And you're just battling it out hand-to-hand combat every day? |
| 1:56.9 | What's it like? Yeah, we got to distinguish a little bit between the hysteria and the anxiety. |
| 2:03.7 | That sort of gets trumped up in the media. And it's not a small thing because it does affect |
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