- Joined
- Jan 3, 2009
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Shai Agassi - Founder and CEO of Better Place.
Kristian Steenstrup:
Shai, did the concept of electric cars and environmental issues give you motivation to leave SAP?
Shai Agassi:
Well, I will give you the basic chronology: In the middle of 2005, I was asked two questions, one by Hasso Plattner (one of SAP's founders): "Would I like to be the next co-CEO of SAP?" and, interestingly enough, I said, yes.
I was asked a different question when I joined a group called the Young Global Leaders, which is a part of the World Economic Forum, who asked me how I was going to make the world a better place by 2020. I started thinking about the next version and the next version and the next version of SAP, and none of them made me feel like I would make the world a better place by 2020.
I started thinking of the question, "how would you run a country without oil?" as the answer for "how are you going to make the world a better place?" I would go to the Young Global Leaders meetings; I'd read at night. It was sort of the stuff I did to get my mind off the 100 projects that I was doing at SAP at the time.
Do I miss SAP? No, I think it was the best thing for me to do this, because I have found my passion. I wake up every morning full of life and full of energy to do this. I think SAP has been one of the most instrumental tools to get where I am right now, the ability to do something like that.
Kristian Steenstrup:
Shai, did the concept of electric cars and environmental issues give you motivation to leave SAP?
Shai Agassi:
Well, I will give you the basic chronology: In the middle of 2005, I was asked two questions, one by Hasso Plattner (one of SAP's founders): "Would I like to be the next co-CEO of SAP?" and, interestingly enough, I said, yes.
I was asked a different question when I joined a group called the Young Global Leaders, which is a part of the World Economic Forum, who asked me how I was going to make the world a better place by 2020. I started thinking about the next version and the next version and the next version of SAP, and none of them made me feel like I would make the world a better place by 2020.
I started thinking of the question, "how would you run a country without oil?" as the answer for "how are you going to make the world a better place?" I would go to the Young Global Leaders meetings; I'd read at night. It was sort of the stuff I did to get my mind off the 100 projects that I was doing at SAP at the time.
Do I miss SAP? No, I think it was the best thing for me to do this, because I have found my passion. I wake up every morning full of life and full of energy to do this. I think SAP has been one of the most instrumental tools to get where I am right now, the ability to do something like that.
