At a well-attended SXSW presentation — The Case for the Coding CEO — New Relic’s very own Lew Cirne offered some hard-earned tips to developer/CEOs looking for the creative freedom to build the next wave of innovation while still leading the business.

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Confessionsof a tech CEO who still loves to code

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Hello, my name is Lew Cirne

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I’m the CEO & founder
of New Relic

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350+ employees
$115M in financing
4 offices worldwide

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I didn’t do traditional
“CEO” things last year.
No suit. No tie.
No presentations.

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Instead I hacked a new
batch of code for our next
generation set of products.

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Then I spent the year with my
team, making “pure coding joy”
= a great product

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The results?
The team
is happy
(and I’m doing what I love).
Innovation is
front & center for
us

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The results?
after 15 months of
work by me & team
Preview in
October
Now in private
beta
Public beta &
GA this year

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Surround yourself with
exceptional people

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When do you
innovate / disrupt
yourself?

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We are here
RevenueGrowth
Time
Disrupt yourself!
Too late!
Disrupt yourself again!

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Why this is good for our company
(andyours)

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Culture of innovation and product first
Keeps me connected to technology trends and
helps with strategic decision making
Innovate/disrupt yourself before the world does

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You can make a difference
doing the thing you love

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Thank you