Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:35 AM
The San Jose Mercury News, the daily newspaper serving Silicon Valley, published an
interesting interview over the weekend with Autodesk CEO Carl Bass. Highlights:
On leadership: "
The worst thing you can get in a company is everyone wanting to do what you want to do. It sets the company up for failure."
On not being headquartered in Silicon Valley: "... you've got to recognize we're a very global company. We have 5,500 employees, 1,200 in the Bay Area. ... Where my 401(k) plan is administered is less interesting to me."
On placing non-technology people on corporate boards: "...the professional compliance people on boards do not add a lot of value, and in the long run companies will not do well under their stewardship. But there's a category of business person who didn't grow up on tech who can bring a disciplined approach to business that sometimes is lacking in the Valley."
--RSN