Bricks And Bytes How PlanGrid was Acquired for $875m - Ralph Gootee, CTO
May 23, 2025
Ralph Gootee, co-founder of PlanGrid and now at TigerEye, shares insights from his remarkable journey in tech. He reveals how PlanGrid became the first enterprise app on the iPad when even Facebook hesitated. A $17,000 marketing hack involved giving away free iPads, igniting user interest. Ralph discusses the year-long acquisition process by Autodesk costing $875 million and emphasizes how AI supports, rather than replaces, engineers. He also reflects on the dynamics of co-founding a startup and how pricing decisions are pivotal for success.
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First Enterprise iPad Product
- PlanGrid launched as the only enterprise product on the iPad and stood out instantly.
- Ralph Gootee credits that native mobile UX drove adoption on job sites.
Year-Long Acquisition Process
- Autodesk acquired PlanGrid after a year-long negotiation because they needed a construction acquisition.
- The deal validated PlanGrid's product strength and competitive position versus Procore.
Blueprint Rendering Was Core IP
- Ralph built a fast PDF/postscript rendering engine that solved iPad memory and speed issues for blueprints.
- That engine stayed core to PlanGrid for years and outperformed competitors.