Guest: Chris Degnan, CRO of Snowflake

Chris Degnan was a teenager when his world got turned upside-down: His stockbroker father was revealed to be a serial liar & fraudster and was sent to prison; the wealth he thought his family had evaporated; and their house was foreclosed on by the IRS. The traumatic experience gave him both an “insane drive” and a slew of anxieties, which shaped the person he became as an adult ... and led him, eventually, to the C-Suite of Snowflake. “Those things have built character,” Chris says. “I’m super proud of the person I am… That’s what matters to me.” 

In this episode, Chris and Joubin discuss adjusting to tech fame, holding onto perspective, detecting lies, being the monster, paranoia,  talking about anxiety, fear of flying, living your values, Mike Scarpelli, trimming down meeting sizes, sales calls, being abrasive, Mike Speiser, succession plans, and Mark McLaughlin.

In this episode, we cover:

• Defining yourself by your job (01:04)
• The origin of Chris’ insecurities (06:25)
• Passion for the sport (11:11)
• Dinner-table conversation (15:41)
• “If I stop working, I’m going to die” (17:22)
• Changing history (20:34)
• Snowflake and its competitors (24:29)
• Bob Muglia and hiring big-company people (27:10)
• Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman (31:53)
• Getting the truth (37:42)
• Denise Persson (41:58)
• Therapy and support systems (48:37)
• Bringing your friends (51:52)

Links:

• Connect with Chris
  • LinkedIn
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm