A podcast about succeeding in the digital era
Michelle Zatlyn on protecting the web.
Hear from leaders of Box, Square,
Microsoft, and others shaping our digital world.
In the digital economy, pursuing your vision—for a new business, a new product, a new way to try and solve a problem—can feel next to impossible. On Decoding Digital, Dan Saks talks with a cross-section of leaders who are using digital technology to do just that.
Jack Newton
Decoding Vertical SaaS: Jack Newton on Tech that Shapes Industries
WINNING THE MARKET BY INNOVATING FOR SPECIFIC SECTORS
28 min
"Should we go deep, or should we go broad?" is one of the fundamental strategy questions that every product-driven business faces. Aiming for as many customers as possible may seem logical, but it's not always the smartest bet. Hear Jack Newton, co-founder and CEO of legal SaaS company Clio, discuss why targeting specific verticals can deliver better results for everyone.
Dr. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
Decoding New Innovations in the Old Economy with Dr. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
DRIVING TECHNOLOGY GROWTH IN “OLD WORLD” SECTORS
31 min
Traditional companies and digital upstarts have a lot to gain from each other. That's why Jeannette zu Fürstenberg founded La Famiglia, a VC firm that connects innovative young disruptors with old-line companies across Europe. Hear her discuss why connections are so important in business, and why a disruption-friendly mindset can help any company no matter how old.
Mark Templeton
Decoding Remote Work: Mark Templeton on the Virtual Workspace
A VIRTUAL WORK VISIONARY ON WHAT’S NEXT
35 min
The topic of remote work has dominated the news, but Mark Templeton—former CEO of Citrix—was among the first to understand its potential more than a decade ago. In this episode, hear Mark explain his early vision for a software-defined virtual workspace that could make it possible to work from anywhere, and how his ideas are shaping the “future of work” we know today.
Brad Garlinghouse
Decoding Hype Cycles: Brad Garlinghouse on Crypto and FinTech
EXPLORING HYPE CYCLES AND THE NEXT ERA OF TECH
26 min
If anyone has had a front row seat to the digital revolution, it’s Brad Garlinghouse. He spent his early days at Internet powerhouses like Yahoo and AOL. Today, as the CEO of Ripple, he sits at the center of the next big disruptive innovation: cryptocurrency. In this episode, learn about digital currencies and how they are changing the global payments infrastructure.
Dr. Gerald Kane
Decoding Digital Heroes: Dr. Jerry Kane on Digital Leadership
WHY PEOPLE ARE THE KEY TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
33 min
According to Professor Gerald C. Kane, co-author of “The Technology Fallacy,” digital transformation is not a technology problem, it's a people problem. After surveying more than 16,000 business leaders from companies such as Walmart, Google, and Salesforce, the data is clear: Businesses must focus on people and processes—not just technology—to compete in a digital world.
Jim McKelvey
Decoding Innovation: Jim McKelvey on "The Innovation Stack"
A CONVERSATION ABOUT SURVIVAL & GAME-CHANGING INNOVATION
37 min
If you think great innovators have superpowers, Square co-founder, Jim McKelvey, will make you think again. After Square survived a direct attack from Amazon in 2014, Jim was determined to find out why. In this episode, learn what it takes to build a world-changing company, and why solving difficult problems is the true key to creating resilient businesses.
Ross Mason
Decoding APIs: Ross Mason on the Power of “Headless” Applications
A CONVERSATION ABOUT DATA, IT, & THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
29 min
You can't see them, but APIs are always hard at work, sending and retrieving the information that makes the digital world possible. When our data stops flowing, that's when the trouble begins. In this episode, Ross Mason, pioneering founder of MuleSoft, explores the importance of APIs and why connecting data from many sources is one of the toughest problems companies face.
Nick Mehta
Decoding Customer Success: Nick Mehta on “Recurring" Customer Value
A CONVERSATION ABOUT NURTURING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
28 min
As companies shift to subscription-based business models, providing value to customers on a recurring basis is more important than ever. In this episode, we sit down with one of the pioneers of the customer success movement, Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, to talk about what it takes to optimize customer lifetime value and delight customers with a better digital experience.
Amy Chang
Decoding Fear: Amy Chang on Leaning into the Unknown
A CONVERSATION ABOUT MASTERING FEAR
29 min
Leaving Google to start her own company was the scariest thing Amy Chang has ever done. But sometimes, doing what scares you is the best way to grow. Hear Amy’s remarkable journey as she left "safe" jobs at McKinsey and Google to found Accompany and lead a successful acquisition by Cisco. You'll also learn her tips for leaning into fear to achieve your greatest ambitions.
Dax Dasilva
Decoding the Changemaker Mentality: Dax Dasilva on Igniting Change
A CONVERSATION ABOUT IGNITING TODAY’S CHANGEMAKER
25 min
Great leaders inspire change, and according to Dax Dasilva, changemakers can emerge from everywhere. In this episode, Dax brings us along his changemaker journey, from leading one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies, to founding a non-profit cultural space, to writing his first book, "Age of Union," a guide for creating change. Prepare to be inspired.
Aaron Levie
Decoding Viral Enterprise Growth: Aaron Levie on Building a Brand
Decoding Viral Enterprise Growth: Aaron Levie on Building a Brand
32 min
“Work doesn’t have to be complicated and software doesn’t have to suck.” That’s the message that Aaron Levie—co-founder and CEO of Box—believes enterprise companies need to take to heart. In this episode, Aaron shares his vision on the new era of work and why companies need to focus on building simpler, better software that makes it easier for people to collaborate.
René Obermann
Decoding Digital Transformation: René Obermann on Driving Change
A CONVERSATION ABOUT REIMAGINING HOW COMPANIES WORK
37 min
Change is rarely easy, especially at large, global enterprise companies. It’s a lesson that René Obermann—the former CEO of German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom—learned first hand. In this episode, hear how René was able to gain alignment across tens of thousands of employees and transform the organization to become a digital leader in the telecom sector.
Hélène Barnekow
Decoding Values-Based Leadership: Hélène Barnekow on Empathy
Decoding Values-Based Leadership: Hélène Barnekow on Empathy
40 min
Many companies talk about values, but what does it mean to actually create a values-based organization? For Hélène Barnekow, the answer is simple: Leaders must commit to living the values everyday at work. In this episode, hear Hélène talk about company culture, how to cultivate a growth mindset, and why we need a sense of urgency in how we adopt technology.
Faisal Masud
Decoding eCommerce: Faisal Masud on What Makes Online Sales Work
A CONVERSATION WITH AN ECOMMERCE VETERAN
25 min
Faisal Masud has had a front row seat to the evolution of eCommerce. In 1999, he began his career at one-hour delivery pioneer Kozmo, and since then has held leadership roles at a who's who of online retail giants, including Amazon, eBay, Groupon, and Staples. In this episode, Faisal talks about what you have to do to set yourself apart in today's eCommerce industry.
Clara Shih
Decoding Social Business: Clara Shih on Fostering Trust
A DEEP DIVE INTO SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS
33 min
Social media has changed the way we interact with friends and family, but can it build more trust in businesses? It's a question that Clara Shih has spent a lot of time thinking about. The co-founder of Hearsay Systems, Clara broke new ground using the social graph for business, and in this episode, she talks about the promise—and problems—that social media brings.
Amit Bendov
Decoding Revenue Intelligence: Amit Bendov on Making Sales Smarter
A CONVERSATION ABOUT CAPTURING INSIGHTS FROM SALES
26 min
Amit Bendov has spent nearly two decades leading hyper-growth software startups. He’s scaled three “unicorn” companies worth a billion dollars or more, proving he has the unique ability to make business ideas become wildly successful. In this episode, hear Amit explain how to spot opportunities in the market, and how to improve the sales process by listening to customers.
Nicolaj Siggelkow
Decoding Connected Strategies: Nicolaj Siggelkow on Building Trust
TALKING WITH AN EXPERT ON NEW WAYS TO REACH CUSTOMERS
38 min
A quiet revolution is changing the way companies sell. Instead of one-time transactions, businesses are looking to create ongoing, always-on relationships with their customers. Nicolaj Siggelkow wrote the book on these new connected strategies, and in this episode, he explains how they work and how you can rethink your business to connect to your customers in new ways.
Laela Sturdy
Decoding Innovation Culture: Laela Sturdy on Nurturing Ideas
TALKING WITH AN EXPERT IN HOW TO SPOT ENTREPRENEURS
45 min
Over the course of her career in venture capital, Laela Sturdy has met hundreds of entrepreneurs and listened to just as many startup pitches. In this episode, hear her explain which traits she sees in the most successful founders, as well as what you can do to foster an environment where your team feels comfortable taking risks that drive innovation.
Rich Aberman
Decoding Digital Payments: Rich Aberman on Innovating Inside Out
A CONVERSATION WITH A PAYMENTS INDUSTRY VETERAN
45 min
When Rich Aberman co-founded WePay in 2008, he decided to not only take on a huge competitor—PayPal—but also disrupt the banking industry, one of the most established, regulated sectors in the world. Hear Rich explain how he did it, and why working from the inside out can be the ideal way to drive game-changing innovation.
Michelle Zatlyn
Decoding Digital Security: Michelle Zatlyn on Protecting the Web
A CONVERSATION ON BEING A BETTER DIGITAL CITIZEN
45 min
Many of us worry about how secure our online lives really are. After all, the news is filled with stories of data breaches and denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. As co-founder of cloud security company Cloudflare, Michelle Zatlyn has some advice: Be cautious, but engage with technology to become a better digital citizen. Hear her discuss how to safeguard the digital world.
Dr. Don Sheppard
Decoding Medical Innovation: Dr. Don Sheppard on Fighting Disease
A CONVERSATION WITH A WORLD-RENOWNED RESEARCHER
44 min
The quest to cure disease is among our most enduring challenges, and the stakes could not be higher. Dr. Don Sheppard is using digital technology to bring together experts from a range of fields—medicine, engineering, sociology, and more—to help make the world a safer, healthier place. Hear Dr. Sheppard discuss his work with the pioneering MI4 initiative.
Brad Feld
Decoding Entrepreneurship: Brad Feld Explains How to Thrive
A CONVERSATION WITH A RENOWNED STARTUP MENTOR
42 min
Every entrepreneur spends a lot of time thinking about their business, but for Brad Feld, it's not enough. Founders also need to be mindful about their work and the impact it has—on the market, on their colleagues, and on their own wellbeing. Hear the legendary investor and startup mentor talk about building businesses, coping with change, and remembering to be kind.
Michele Romanow
Decoding Venture Capital: Michele Romanow Rethinks How to Invest
A CONVERSATION WITH THE FOUNDER OF CLEARBANC
28 min
Venture capital has a people problem. Typically, it requires personal introductions and face-to-face meetings. It also takes a long time, and bias inevitably creeps in. Hear from Michele Romanow on how she is changing that dynamic by using data, AI, and automation to accelerate funding decisions and make it much more diverse.
Eric Ries
Decoding Lean Principles: Eric Ries and The Long-Term Stock Exchange
A CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR OF "THE LEAN STARTUP"
41 min
What do you do after you’ve changed the way an entire generation of founders launch and build their companies? If you’re Eric Ries, you tackle one of your most ambitious projects yet—creating a new stock exchange to generate long-term, sustainable value. Hear Eric discuss “The Lean Startup,” the hard work of changing the status quo, and more.
Dan Saks
Decoding “Decoding Digital”: Dan Saks on Profiling Digital Heroes
A CONVERSATION ABOUT SHARING STORIES OF SUCCESS
36 min
It takes a special type of person to succeed in the digital economy. They need vision, curiosity, grit, and determination to achieve their goals and create a bold impact, both at work and in the world at large. Hear podcast host Dan Saks explain why it's critical to tell the stories of these Digital Heroes, and why he's decided to do just that on Decoding Digital.
Meet your host, Dan Saks
PRESIDENT & CO-CEO
Dan is a life-long learner and is constantly looking to discover and share ideas about new things. He is honored to have the chance to learn from some of the smartest people in business and technology, and share his conversations with the Decoding Digital audience.
Season one
The change agents. The innovators. The visionaries. Get to know them on Decoding Digital.