How to Castrate a Bull

Dave Hitz likes to solve fun problems. He didn t set out to be a Silicon Valley icon, a business visionary, or even a billionaire. But he became all three. It turns out that business is a mosaic of interesting puzzles like managing risk, developing and reversing strategies, and looking into the future by deconstructing the past. As a founder of NetApp, a data storage firm that began as an idea scribbled on a placemat and now takes in $4 billion a year, Hitz has seen his company go through every major cycle in business from the Jack-of-All-Trades mentality of a start-up, through the tumultuous period of the IPO and the dot-com bust, and finally to a mature enterprise company. NetApp is one of the fastest-growing computer companies ever, and for six years in a row it has been on Fortune magazine s list of Best Companies to Work For. Not bad for a high school dropout who began his business career selling his blood for money and typing the names of diseases onto index cards. With colorful examples and anecdotes, How to Castrate a Bull is a story for everyone interested in understanding business, the reasons why companies succeed and fail, and how powerful lessons often come from strange and unexpected places. Dave Hitz co-founded NetApp in 1992 with James Lau and Michael Malcolm. He served as a programmer, marketing evangelist, technical architect, and vice president of engineering. Presently, he is responsible for future strategy and direction for the company. Before his career in Silicon Valley, Dave worked as a cowboy, where he got valuable management experience by herding, branding, and castrating cattle.

Dave Hitz likes to solve fun problems. He didn't set out tobe a Silicon Valley icon, a business visionary, or even abillionaire. But he became all three. It turns out that business isa mosaic of interesting puzzles like managing risk, developing andreversing strategies, and looking into the future by deconstructingthe past.As a founder of NetApp, a data storage firm that began as anidea scribbled on a placemat and now takes in $4 billion a yearHitz has seen his company go through every major cycle inbusiness--from the Jack-of-All-Trades mentality of a start-upthrough the tumultuous period of the IPO and the dot-com bust, andfinally to a mature enterprise company. NetApp is one of thefastest-growing computer companies ever, and for six years in a rowit has been on Fortune magazine's list of BestCompanies to Work For. Not bad for a high school dropout who beganhis business career selling his blood for money and typing thenames of diseases onto index cards.With colorful examples and anecdotes, How to Castrate aBull is a story for everyone interested in understandingbusiness, the reasons why companies succeed and fail, and howpowerful lessons often come from strange and unexpected places.Dave Hitz co-founded NetApp in 1992 with James Lau and MichaelMalcolm. He served as a programmer, marketing evangelist, technicalarchitect, and vice president of engineering. Presently, he isresponsible for future strategy and direction for the company.Before his career in Silicon Valley, Dave worked as a cowboy, wherehe got valuable management experience by herding, branding, andcastrating cattle.

0 Chapter Zero 1Part One Beginnings 51 Before NetApp: On Computers, Colleges, Castration, and Risk 7Interlude: What NetApp Does 212 Starting NetApp: On Toasters, Angels, Resellers, and Ferraris 23Interlude: Redundant Array of Pyramid Hieroglyphics (RAPH) 413 CEO Lessons: On Pixie Dust, Decision Making, Candor, and Going Public 43Interlude: Tom Mendoza's Lessons on Public Speaking 57Part Two Turbulent Adolescence 594 Hypergrowth: On Goals, Doubling, Ancestors, and Pain 61Interlude: How to Fail in Executive Staff Presentations 795 Values and Culture: On Dilbert, Drooling, Lies, and Game Theory 81Interlude: Lawyers Aren't Evil--Fairness and Morality Are Not Their Job 976 Managing Engineers: On Development, Consensus, Doctor Death, and Magic 101Interlude: Scientific-Truth and Useful-Truth 117Part Three Grown-Up Company 1217 Customers: On Love, Enterprise, Simplicity, and Partners 127Interlude: Shark Island--A Parable of Risk and Mass Media 1458 Strategic Change: On Reversing Course, Chocolate, Debates, and Core Beliefs 147Interlude: Speckled-Egg Thinking 1579 Vision: On Whining, Eras, Future History, and the Meaning of Life 161Appendix A: Early NetApp Business Plan 177Appendix B: NetApp Company Values 186Glossary 188Bibliography 194Acknowledgments 195The Author 197Index 199