The Digital Dozen: Q&A with Jesse Demmel, Chief Technology Officer at Sovrn
Twelve quick questions with Sovrn's Chief Technology Officer, Jesse Demmel.
1. What's the biggest lesson you've learnt in your working life?
Team matters more than smarts. Obviously you always want the most brilliant people on your team, but not at the expense of culture and a cohesive team.
2. What has been your best idea yet?
Marrying my wife.
3. What advice have you been given that made a difference?
Assume people have good intentions and are trying hard. Empowering the team and holding them accountable via servant leadership will yield surprisingly good results.
4. What’s the best thing about your work?
The team! We spend a lot of time together. It’s great that we energize and motivate each other.
5. What do you think will be big in technology in ten years’ time?
With continued drive for better consumer data and privacy protections, the concepts that are driving the decentralized web are really interesting to me. As compute continues to move further to the edge, I think it could be game changing.
6. How do you see the industry evolving, what are your predictions?
It will only become easier to collect and utilize data. The proliferation of devices makes it easier for this data to be personal. The industry needs continued evolution with respect to transparency. Consumers are demanding control and a greater understanding of how they are paying for their digital ecosystem. It’s not free, but consumers deserve choices on how they pay for it all.
7. Are there any specific challenges or pain points you have come across in your role?
Leading technology at a company pulls you in multiple directions. You need to partner closely with the business which requires deep knowledge and understanding of the domain and other business functions (ie finance, sales, marketing). However, to successfully lead the engineering teams, you must also gain deep knowledge and understanding of emerging technologies and scaling patterns (both people and tech). Failure to do either will make success more challenging.
8. What predictions do you have for the role of the CTO?
There are multiple flavors of CTO. We could use some standardization on the role. In some cases, it’s closer to VP, Engineering, that focuses on building and running teams. In other cases, it’s about exploring new technology capabilities, being the outward face of technology for the company, and focusing on culture. Personally, I think the real answer is both. Technologists, even at the highest level, must take into account the human element of teams. The best way to do that is to get your hands “dirty” by doing it every day.
9. If you had a magic wand, what industry issue would you fix right now?
Continued democratization of the internet. Net neutrality is critical. Small companies must have an equal chance of gaining adoption as the huge players. Further, we must limit the advantage of the biggest companies (e.g. GDPR is the exact wrong answer). This assumes you believe entrepreneurs and small businesses are the drivers of innovation.
10. What career path would you be following if you weren't in your current job?
As if my skills were not the limitation? If I could get paid to ride my bike every day, life would be good. Either that, or professional eater. Those contradictions paint a picture of why I’m on my current career path.
11. What three items would you take to a desert island?
There are four members in my family, so I guess one of the kids doesn’t make the cut ;) Otherwise, a satellite phone, beer, and sunglasses.
12. And finally, the question on everyone’s lips... what's your favourite doughnut?
Chocolate icing with sprinkles.