Past meeting
Tim Westergren (Pandora CEO), Music Genome & Customer Engagement
(1 rating)
Meeting Description
Who
- Come if you: are a software engineering manager, want to be a SEM, want to understand SEMs, need to work with SEMs, want to recruit SEMs, or want to get to know SEMs. We get some scrappy and sassy people, and lively interaction.
Why
- From my friend Kimberly: What's fascinating is how Tim engages deeply with his customers in lively discussions that are shaping the future of Pandora and digital music. Couldn't we all stand to be a lot closer to our customers? Enjoy! - Kimberly
Organized by
-
"This event is organized by SDForum. I am a co-chair of the Software Engineering Management SIG (SEM-SIG). If you are not a member of SDForum, this event requires a fee of $15.00."
--Sam Hahn
Details
Kimberly Wiefling (SEM-SIG Chair) says:
This month we will have a real treat - meeting and having a rich,
interactive dialogue with the founder and CSO of Pandora, Tim
Westergren.
Personally, I attended one of Tim's "Customer Meet Ups", and I am very impressed with the music genome technology upon which this business is based, the kind of company culture that Pandora is creating, and Tim as a leader. Tim's company has created an amazing way to describe music. Tell Pandora a song you like and it can serve up many more than you will also enjoy, some of which come from artists you would never have discovered yourself. What's more fascinating, however is how Tim's engages deeply with his customers in lively discussions that are shaping the future of Pandora and digital music. Couldn't we all stand to be a lot closer to our customers? Enjoy! - Scrappy Kimberly Wiefling
Schedule
- 6:30pm-7:00pm - registration
- 7:00pm-8:30pm - presentation
Location
SAP, Building D
(this is the only building at this location)
3410 Hillview Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Price
$15 at the door for non-SDForum members
No charge for SDForum members
Seating is limited
Sam Hahn
"I really enjoyed Tim's story of company ups and downs. Here are some highlights for those who couldn't make it: Though he got his A round financing in 99 at the apex of the .BOOM, Tim's B round came only after he had done 348 pitches! 45 people who worked for 2.5 years without pay stuck it out, and Tim paid them after B round funding! He has held >100 (150?) "Town Hall" meetings with customers across the country, to standing-room only crowds sometimes numbering ~400, half of whom raise their hands when he asks for Q&A. When new copyright legislation would've put Pandora out of business, Tim and co. mobilized hundreds of thousands of individual action (email, mail, fax, visits) from users... they lobbied on behalf of Pandora and has kept negotiations going (brought RIAA back to the table). This was a story of "if you don't quit, you're a winner!". Thanks, Tim - Sam"