Dev Ittycheria, CEO of MongoDB, shares insights from his leadership journey. He discusses how AI is reshaping technology and the critical role of databases in this evolution. Dev highlights the importance of building a strong sales organization and the necessity of disciplined investment strategies. He emphasizes recruiting for intrinsic motivation, understanding personal grit, and creating defensible business models. A strong focus on company culture and talent acquisition sets the stage for MongoDB's future success.

In a captivating discussion, Dev Ittycheria, CEO of MongoDB who led the firm through the cloud revolution, shares insights on the company’s pivotal shift from a platform-as-a-service to a dedicated database focus. He recounts overcoming competition and skepticism while launching Atlas, their fully-managed cloud service that now generates 70% of their revenue. The conversation also delves into the strategic choice to update their open-source license, showing how these decisions transformed MongoDB into a nearly $2 billion powerhouse in the tech industry.

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist Embroker. The Embroker Startup Insurance Program helps startups secure the most important types of insurance at a lower cost and with less hassle. Save up to 20% off of traditional insurance today at Embroker.com/twist. While you’re there, get an extra 10% off using offer code TWIST. Roots is a real estate investment platform for all investors. There are no entry fees, and you can start with as little as $100. Head to investwithroots.com/TWIST to sign up and start investing today! * Today’s show: MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria joins Jason to discuss recent tech trends (10:58), the move towards remote work (17:58), his strategy for building winning teams (37:17), and much more! * Time stamps: (00:00) MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria joins Jason (2:32) Dev’s background and how MongoDB operates (9:28) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist (10:58) The last 9 months in tech and the pace of AI (13:57) RIFs and staffing a modern-day tech company (17:58) Remote, Hybrid, or back to the office (22:25) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (25:33) Hiring and inspiring the next generation (28:47) The trust but verify operating philosophy (31:32) Entitlement in the tech industry (35:52) Roots - Head to investwithroots.com/TWIST to sign up and start investing today! (37:17) Great leadership and managing a team (41:14) Bad management and the feedback cycle (53:30) Recruiting talent in the U.S. * Check out MongoDB: https://www.mongodb.com Follow Dev: https://twitter.com/dittycheria * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Guests: Satish and Scott roast Logan for becoming a media personality. Matthew Prince exposes Cloudflare’s 1st customers: Turkish escorts. Dario Amodei predicts the future of AI. Dev Ittycheria gives 3 steps for holding people accountable. Jack Altman jokes about growing up with Sam. Daniel Ek on money and happiness. Matt Mochary shares his hiring and firing frameworks.

Dev Ittycheria, CEO of MongoDB, discusses the importance of intellectual honesty, being vulnerable, and recognizing strengths and weaknesses. They explore topics like looking for bad news, Ivy League schools, imposter syndrome, introverts, and time management.