Docusign's CEO on the dangers of trusting AI to read, and write, your contracts
Today, I’m talking with Allan Thygesen, who is the CEO of Docusign. You know Docusign, it’s the platform that lets you sign stuff online. It turns out 7,000 people work there, which is one of those facts floating around that’s always felt like perfect Decoder bait. What are all those people doing? And what kind of product roadmap does a company like Docusign even need?
Alan has only been CEO of Docusign for three years, so he has some interesting perspective on where the company was, the changes he wanted to make, and where he thinks this is all going. Hint: it involves AI.
Read the full transcript on The Verge.
Links:
Docusign's AI will help you understand what you're signing | Fast Company
Docusign on ‘transformational journey,’ CEO Says | Bloomberg
How Docusign Is modernizing the age-old business contract | Barron’s
Docusign unveils next-gen eSignature with AI | Docusign
Docusign brings its contract AI to ChatGPT | Docusign
Interview with Docusign CEO Allan Thygesen | Motley Fool (Podcast)
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Credits:
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Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.
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#142 President of DocuSign, Robert Chatwani: Get Uncomfortable
Guest: Robert Chatwani, President and General Manager of Growth at DocuSign
Robert Chatwani’s first reinvention was in his early 20s, when he left McKinsey & Company to start a people-powered commerce startup called MonkeyBin. And in the ensuing decades, his entrepreneurial energy hasn’t slowed down, with hops to eBay, Spring, Atlassian, and now DocuSign, where he is the President and General Manager of Growth. He cites a “healthy anxiety” that comes from getting too comfortable in any role, where he finds himself solving the same problems over and over again; but when you’re in a little bit over your head, Robert explains, “that’s a good place to be, because that’s where the best learning comes from.”
In this episode, Robert and Joubin discuss trusting your intuition, reinventing yourself, personal boards of advisors, people-powered commerce, betting on people, career coaching, taking time for family, being the same person in every room, bone marrow donors, energy takers vs. creators, and leading with empathy.
In this episode, we cover:
Networking through venture capitalists (02:18)
Leaving high-profile jobs (04:29)
How to know when it’s time to leave (07:55)
12 years at eBay (11:05)
The seeds of doubt (15:10)
Finding purpose in company-building (17:51)
Robert’s personal mission statement (21:01)
Growing up in Chicago and his parents (24:40)
Losing a parent (27:16)
True North by Bill George (29:35)
Finding ways to be human (32:45)
What accomplishment Robert is most proud of (34:35)
MonkeyBin and meeting eBay (36:08)
Sameer Bhatia’s battle with leukemia (38:30)
Building a global bone marrow campaign (42:38)
“You can’t control every outcome” (48:07)
Unexpected side effects (52:56)
Business is a force for good (56:26)
Working at Spring, and then Atlassian (01:00:01)
Self-doubt and leaving Atlassian (01:06:29)
Making tough calls with IQ & EQ (01:10:24)
Who DocuSign is hiring, and what “grit” means to Robert (01:13:48)
Links:
Connect with RobertLinkedIn
Connect with JoubinTwitter
LinkedIn
Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm
SaaStr 393: 3 Secrets to Selling Up-Market with the Leaders of Fivetran, Stripe, and Docusign
The journey for a company to move upmarket can be daunting and varies widely depending on the internal and external factors that inspire a shift in go-to-market strategy. Join these incredible sales leaders are they share their experiences in the evolution from SMB to Enterprise.
Kelly Del Curto, Senior Director of Sales at Lever Tammy Aguillon, Area Vice President, Commercial Sales at DocuSign Kate Jensen, Head of Platform Sales at Stripe Lauren Schwartz, Vice President of Enterprise Sales at Fivetran
Video and blog post: https://www.saastr.com/how-to-sell-upmarket-in-saas/