Kentley-Klay didn’t respond to calls yesterday. He spent much of last week sharing messages of support and venting on Twitter about the shock firing, which he said came “without a warning, cause or right of reply “. It was an example of “Silicon Valley up to its worst tricks,” he said.
As it turns out, just two weeks ago I was offered an interview with him and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon Brookes to discuss the company’s outsize ambitions.
Earlier in July, Fairfax Media had broken the news that the company was in advanced talks over a large funding round that would value its operations at about $3 billion, with Cannon-Brookes putting $100 million of his own money into the deal, and joining the company’s board.
In the subsequent interview you got the sense the two were on pretty good terms. You might even go so far as to call it a bromance.
“I think we get on pretty well,” Cannon-Brookes said. “You have got to be a little crazy to do what he is trying to do, so that always appeals. Obviously we have hung out a bunch over the past six months in various guises so I would say we get pretty along well.”
Kentley-Klay said of Cannon-Brookes: “It’s been phenomenal for me, a real privilege to get to know Mike. What he has built with Scott [Farquhar] at Atlassian, when you get to know Mike, it’s no accident they have built what they have. To have his brainpower now helping to build Zoox, we are absolutely thrilled.”
Tim Kentley-Klay, and Jesse Levinson, of Zoox
Photo: Shaughn and John
Cannon-Brookes, who is on holiday, couldn’t be reached for comment. He did say in the interview that he was “the dumb young kid on the board compared to the rest of them”. This, and the whole tone of the interview strongly suggest the ousting wasn’t his idea.
But the board’s decision was unanimous, sources have confirmed, implying Cannon Brookes at least endorsed it. “There was nothing messy about it,” said one person familiar with the situation. “It was a clean kill.”
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Sources say the board – which includes a number of Silicon Valley heavyweights – and investors, both existing and prospective, had doubts whether Kentley-Klay was the best person to lead the company into its next phase. Zoox has now raised more than $US800 million (and will need to raise even more) and has over 500 employees.
A Bloomberg feature on Zoox also reputedly made some investors uneasy. “The jury is still out on whether I am full of shit,” Kentley-Klay is quoted in that story as saying.
The jury is still out on whether I am full of shit
Tim Kentley-Klay
There is no suggestion of any misconduct by Kentley-Klay.
Sources say his strong convictions and uncompromising vision for Zoox were among the factors that contributed to his removal.
Local investors gushed about Kentley-Klay’s enormous ambitions, which he articulated in a clear and engaging fashion, and the company’s impressive technology. The latter remains in place.
Kentley-Klay remains on the board, for now and there is acknowledgement Zoox wouldn’t have made it this far without his vision. He isn’t the first visionary tech founder to abruptly removed from the CEO position (For other examples see: Google, Twitter, Apple, Uber).
Canberra might be the coup capital of the democratic world. But, Silicon Valley – a place of big egos, and even bigger financial rewards – can often make it look tame.