Co-founder and CEO G2, Godard Abel: Finding Opportunity in Challenging Times
Grit8 Aug 2022

Co-founder and CEO G2, Godard Abel: Finding Opportunity in Challenging Times

After rescuing his first startup BigMachines from the brink of bankruptcy and building it to positive cash flow, Godard Abel thought the express lane of life was opening up to him. But after the board replaced him as CEO, Godard — now the CEO of B2B tech buying firm G2 — found himself on a rocky road for 10 years. He had all the money he could want, but also overwhelming fear, anxiety, and depression. To break out of this funk, Godard says he had to embrace presence and reckon with why entrepreneurship called him.

In this episode, Godard and Joubin discuss the mental benefits of running, Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom, ex-Apple CEO John Sculley and “scale at all costs,” turning around a failing startup, a young founder’s “FU mentality,” Jim Dethmer and conscious leadership, the importance of “wallowing in the muck,” the best part about entrepreneurship, WFIO moments, and the advantage of getting older.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The first company Godard co-founded, BigMachines (09:00)
  • The race to IPO as soon as possible, and the “dot bomb” bubble (18:41)
  • Rock bottom for BigMachines: “I felt like a massive failure every day” (23:20)
  • How Godard lost the CEO job: A “Trojan horse” swap (26:55)
  • Financial success and debilitating anxiety (32:30)
  • Conscious leadership, being present, and embracing one’s emotions (36:12)
  • Godard’s redemption: Joining, building, and selling SteelBrick (42:55)
  • How often are you happy? (51:05)
  • The humbling moments of starting G2, and staying an entrepreneur (53:35)

Links:

Episoder(279)

The Truth Behind Automation Claims in Customer Support | Cresta CEO Ping Wu

The Truth Behind Automation Claims in Customer Support | Cresta CEO Ping Wu

Can you scale customer support without burning out agents or frustrating customers?Ping Wu shares how Cresta combines AI and human intelligence into a single system that scales sustainably for compani...

9 Feb 43min

The Safest Dollar on the Internet | Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire

The Safest Dollar on the Internet | Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire

USDC closed the gap between software and law in modern finance.On Grit, Jeremy Allaire discusses how fully reserved, dollar backed digital currency became part of the financial system after more than ...

26 Jan 1h 5min

Why We’re Only Using 1% of AI | Glean CEO Arvind Jain

Why We’re Only Using 1% of AI | Glean CEO Arvind Jain

Glean has grown into a $7.2B company by giving employees AI assistants and agents that extend their capabilities.CEO Arvind Jain is back on Grit alongside Joubin Mirzadegan. Here’s what stood out:“My ...

12 Jan 58min

The Grittiest Conversations of 2025: AI, Business & Beyond

The Grittiest Conversations of 2025: AI, Business & Beyond

In this recap episode, we highlight the best moments from our 2025 interviews and reflect on the ideas that defined the year.Featuring:David Rubenstein (co-founder of Carlyle) Yamini Rangan (CEO of Hu...

29 Des 202541min

How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader

How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader

What happens when AI becomes your most influential referrer?As consumers turn to ChatGPT for answers, James Cadwallader and his team at Profound help brands like Eight Sleep and MongoDB gain visibilit...

22 Des 202550min

How Snap Plans to Win the AR Race | Evan Spiegel on Spectacles

How Snap Plans to Win the AR Race | Evan Spiegel on Spectacles

Turning down a $3B offer from Facebook is a bold move for any young CEO.Evan Spiegel shares how Snap’s early dream was to stay independent and give its community an authentic voice, a bet that proved ...

15 Des 20251h 11min

The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner

The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner

What does it take to go from advising founders to becoming one?On this week’s special Reverse Grit episode, we flip the script and put our Grit podcast host Joubin Mirzadegan in the guest seat.Joubin ...

8 Des 20251h 14min

Building Cloudflare for the Next 50 Years | Co-founder Cloudfare Michelle Zatlyn

Building Cloudflare for the Next 50 Years | Co-founder Cloudfare Michelle Zatlyn

Fifteen years in, it can still feel like “we’re just getting started.”Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder of Cloudflare, returns to Grit with Joubin Mirzadegan to share how Cloudflare secures the internet for...

1 Des 202558min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
pengepodden-2
utbytte
finansredaksjonen
pengesnakk
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
okonomiamatorene
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
lederpodden
rss-fa-makro
rss-markedspuls-2
boligbobla