#184 Former CEO & Co-Founder Sun, Scott McNealy: In the Piñata

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Apr 1, 2024

Former CEO of Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, shares insights on leadership, the heyday of Sun, father-son dynamics in sports, profitable ventures, executive exits, open-source education, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the evolution of AI.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Father-Son Dynamics in Sports Events

01:59 • 18min

From Reluctance to CEO

20:25 • 17min

Navigating Leadership Challenges and Talent Retention

37:30 • 10min

Unexpected Romance and Identity Revelation

47:03 • 4min

Reflections on the Dot-Com Boom and Beyond

50:38 • 7min

Navigating Challenges and Reflections in Business Ventures

57:08 • 10min

Forward Thinking and Learning from the Past

01:07:10 • 5min

Exploring the Evolution and Complexities of AI with References to Bias and Copyright Laws

01:12:35 • 2min

Exploring Grit, Insecurity, and Commitment in CEOs and Entrepreneurs

01:14:09 • 4min

Guest: Scott McNealy, former CEO and co-founder of Sun Microsystems & co-founder of Curriki

Scott McNealy never wanted to be CEO of Sun, and in his 22-year tenure before selling to Oracle, he knows there were times he failed to execute, or to rein in the once-iconic Silicon Valley firm’s worst impulses. But like his pro golfer son, Maverick, Scott doesn’t like to look back: “Golfers will always look back and blame the wind, a divot that wasn't repaired, a bad rake job, a mower cut that wasn't done properly, a gust of wind,” he explains. “If you blame yourself for all of the mistakes you make. You will hate yourself ... I look forward.”

In this episode, Scott and Joubin discuss Scott Cook, Maverick McNealy, why big companies are riskier than startups, Al Gore, Marc Andreessen, Mark Zuckerberg, Kodak, Dick Kleinhans, Harvard University, “bozo invasions,” Myers-Briggs, making an example, Motorola car phones, the Moscone Center, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, NVIDIA’s valuation, farewell letters, “you have no privacy,” open-source education, and toothpaste.com.

In this episode, we cover:

(01:00) - John Doerr
(02:47) - Fathers, sons, and sports
(07:29) - Living in the piñata
(10:48) - Why Scott left Sun
(13:49) - The heyday of Sun Microsystems
(18:24) - Vinod Khosla and founding Sun
(21:24) - How Scott became CEO
(27:21) - Profitable in three months
(30:02) - Inferiority complex
(32:20) - Executive exits and fun at work
(35:49) - Managers and recognition
(38:18) - “HR hero” Crawford Beveridge
(40:35) - How Carol Bartz became VP of marketing
(43:07) - Sharing in success
(45:25) - Scott’s love life & meeting Susan
(50:54) - The dotcom boom and crash
(53:45) - Unicorn CEOs and IBM’s offer
(55:49) - Competitors and hindsight
(58:20) - “The planet system”
(01:00:13) - Too many employees
(01:04:06) - Larry Ellison and selling to Oracle
(01:07:01) - Blaming yourself and looking forward
(01:10:11) - Curriki
(01:12:12) - The AI boom
(01:14:42) - “Grit” and insecurity

Links:

Connect with Scott
- Twitter
- 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