Dean Stoecker, who just stepped down from the Alteryx chief executive post, said in February he always knew the data analytics and data science company he co-founded in 1997 would be a huge success, but “I never thought it would take this long.”
Now the executive chairman at the nearly $10 billion-valued firm (NYSE: AYX), Stoecker has always been the company’s most vocal supporter and a supporter of business in Orange County, as well as an evangelist for the growing field of analytics.
Here is a sampling of some his more notable recent statements, from prior Business Journal interviews:
JULY 2019, speaking on his business life, and why Alteryx remains based in OC:
• “I live in 7C on American Airlines. Seven is right behind first class because I usually don’t get upgraded.”
• “Tech companies are realizing that Silicon Valley is at risk. It’s too expensive. Housing is ridiculous in the valley. So you see a lot of them moving over the last decade to Austin, Texas and North Carolina.”
• “We’ve been just growing like a weed. It’s been a crazy ride.”
• “If it took 100 hours without Alteryx, it takes 20 minutes with Alteryx.’’
• “There’s just something about Orange County. There’s not a lot of hubris here.”
• “Data’s everywhere, and that data’s doubling every year.”
NOVEMBER 2019, following a strong earnings report:
• “I have a 60-second gloat policy at the company where following a good quarter like this we get a chance to celebrate but then we have to get back at it to try and figure out what we can do better in subsequent quarters to continue to improve. We leverage our own platform Alteryx to do so.”
• “We’re in rarefied air. I get our team to remain humble on their successes, have humility in their defeats and pay attention to the data because the data never lies.”
• “We are not a one-trick pony. We are an end-to-end platform that’s easy to use.”
FEBRUARY 2020, on the role analytics will play in the future:
• “We have a lot of our employees who teach their kids Alteryx. We had a customer who was on stage with us in London, 6-year-old who was curious and she wanted to know what her cat did all day. So, they tied a Fitbit to the cat’s collar and they tracked the activities of the cat using Alteryx.”
• “The most important skill set for the 21st century is having a data analytics and data science skill set.”
MAY 2020, amid the onset of the pandemic:
• “In situations like this, winners and losers emerge, and we intend to be a winner.”
• “Unfortunately a lot of the software companies let people go. I chose not to reduce our staff.”
• “What has been keeping me up at night is making sure our employees are safe and secure.”
• “We’re worried about the 100 million people around the world who have been displaced and we want to get them back on their feet as quickly as possible.”
JULY/AUGUST 2020, after a quarter whose rate of growth disappointed analysts:
• “You can either define the future or it will define you.”
• “We’ll be the leader in the data science and analytics space. We just may have to wait a smidgen longer.”
OCTOBER 2020, after turning over the CEO role to Mark Anderson:
• “Scaling Alteryx from one client and three employees to a global leader in the analytics market with over 1,500 employees, over 6,700 customers and 18 offices around the world has been one of my greatest accomplishments.”
