Red Hat Software is a true trailblazer in the open source community. We spoke with Red H
What makes a successful open source company? If there’s one corporation worth examining to answer this question, it’s Red Hat. Since awakening the financial community to the open source phenomenon with its remarkable IPO in August of 1999, Red Hat has steadily been writing the book on how to build a Linux business. Linux Magazine’s Adam Goodman, Robert McMillan, and Chris Somerville recently caught up with Red Hat CEO Matthew Szulik to discuss the lessons learned during his company’s first year and a half as a public company. Szulik, a mild-mannered Bostonian who had recently shaved his head for a charity, has seen a fair bit in his first year at the helm: A dozen acquisitions, executive flight (CFO and CTO), and a stock that soared to $300/ share and then plummeted to 1/30th of that value. But in the end, he says, it’s the future, not the money, that motivates him each day.
What makes a successful open source company? If there’s one corporation worth examining to answer this question, it’s Red Hat. Since awakening the financial community to the open source phenomenon with its remarkable IPO in August of 1999, Red Hat has steadily been writing the book on how to build a Linux business. Linux Magazine’s Adam Goodman, Robert McMillan, and Chris Somerville recently caught up with Red Hat CEO Matthew Szulik to discuss the lessons learned during his company’s first year and a half as a public company. Szulik, a mild-mannered Bostonian who had recently shaved his head for a charity, has seen a fair bit in his first year at the helm: A dozen acquisitions, executive flight (CFO and CTO), and a stock that soared to $300/ share and then plummeted to 1/30th of that value. But in the end, he says, it’s the future, not the money, that motivates him each day.
Linux Magazine: The world has sobered up since we spoke with [Red Hat Chairman] Bob Young last year. How has it felt to have your stock drop from such a height?
Matthew Szulik: When our stock hit $300 and there was wild enthusiasm, I remember having this discussion with Bob. I said,…
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