Author Archives: Todd McKinnon

Are ex-entrepreneurs best equipped to succeed as venture capitalists? That’s the topic of the week over at the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Accelerators’ blog, and I weigh in: When Investing in CEOs, It Takes One to Know One. Successful VCs come … Continue reading →

Earlier today, we announced the close of a $25 million round in series C financing led by Sequoia Capital. We’re very lucky to add the Sequoia team to our list of amazing investors – which already includes Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla … Continue reading →

There are CEOs who say “yes” to nearly everything, those who prioritize and say “no” — and, of course, leaders who fall somewhere in between. In a post earlier today on Fast Company, I discuss the pros and cons of … Continue reading →

You’ve probably heard by now, but enterprise is the hot thing in the Valley right now. (For the record, I’ve always thought what we are doing is cool.) Still, the widespread interest was only re-affirmed yesterday during the “How Enterprise … Continue reading →

A couple of weeks back, I had the chance to head out to Aspen for a few days for Fortune Brainstorm 2012 (#FortuneTech). And what an honor it was. Not only did I speak on the “Defending the Device” panel, … Continue reading →

I wrote a piece, which ran this morning on Fortune, about why all business leaders need to start thinking — today — about how mobile will drastically change their businesses. Change happens fast, and in just a few years the … Continue reading →

In a post earlier today on Fast Company, I discuss why the first five hires are so critical for all start-ups, and why that “leadership DNA” makes or breaks companies. Have a look below, and be sure to head over … Continue reading →

In a post this morning on Fast Company, I reflect on the management lessons I’ve learned since leaving salesforce.com to start Okta. Building and running a successful company, as a CEO, takes a completely different set of skills than running … Continue reading →

Last week, I welcomed Adam Aarons and Hector Aguilar to the Okta team and offered some thoughts, culled from my time as an engineer, on what constitutes a great engineering team. It was meant as a bit of advice (for … Continue reading →

With Adam Aarons (SVP of worldwide sales) and Hector Aguilar (VP of engineering) joining the Okta team, I thought I’d reflect on what makes a great engineering team — and how that philosophy also applies to building a rockstar sales … Continue reading →