Q: John, you joined the company as an intern. What do you remember about those early days?
It was hands-on straight away. The company was small, so there wasn't much separation of roles — everyone did a bit of everything. If something needed doing, you got involved, learned quickly, and figured it out as you went. You ended up taking on responsibility early, whether you expected to or not.
Q: What helped you grow fastest in that first year or two?
Working with people who stayed calm when things went wrong, and being trusted to just get on with the work. You learn a lot in that kind of environment. If you hire good people and then control every decision they make, you're not really letting them do the job you hired them to do.
Q: "Don't micromanage" is something you're very clear on. Where does that come from?
I've disliked micromanagement since day one. It slows people down and takes ownership away from them. People work best when they understand what they're trying to achieve and are trusted to make decisions without someone standing over them. You still need standards and structure — you just don't need to hover over people all the time.
Q: In a technical business, it's easy to judge people by what they know. How do you think about learning and uncertainty?
Not knowing something is normal, especially early on. What matters is being able to explain what you do know, flag uncertainty early, and ask the right questions. Pretending you know something when you don't is usually where problems start. In a live environment, saying "I'm not sure yet — this is what I'm checking" is far more useful than sounding confident and being wrong.
Q: Your role has changed a lot over time. What shifted as you moved away from day-to-day engineering?
The fundamentals didn't really change. The job is still about making sure the right things happen, in the right order, and that they're done properly. The big difference is that you're less often the person doing the work yourself, and more focused on making sure the setup around the work actually helps people do their jobs — teams, processes, priorities, and communication.
Q: What helps someone move effectively from intern into leadership?
You need to be comfortable working at two levels. You have to understand the detail well enough to be useful, and you also need to communicate clearly so other people can move with you. Plenty of people are good at talking to computers. Plenty are good at talking to humans. Being good at both is much rarer.
Q: What did the early "everyone does everything" phase teach you that still matters today?
That getting things delivered is a team effort. When a customer needs something, it's not about whose job it is — you figure out what needs to happen and coordinate. Those early upgrade nights taught you very quickly how important it is to stay calm and be clear about who's doing what.
Q: You've worked closely with customers for a long time. What do you think they value most?
Being competent, being honest, and doing what you say you'll do. Customers don't expect everything to be perfect. They do expect you to be straight with them, to handle issues properly, and to make things better over time. A lot of trust is built when something goes wrong and you show up, take responsibility, and fix it.
Q: What's a common misunderstanding about operations?
People often think it's mainly about control. Good operations is less about control and more about enabling people to work properly — removing friction, making priorities clear, and putting structure in place so teams can move faster without breaking things. The goal isn't bureaucracy. It's helping teams move faster without creating risk.
Q: How do you try to lead day to day?
By being clear, being consistent, and not treating everything like an emergency. If everything is urgent, nothing really is. A lot of the role is making sure people have what they need, and improving the small things that quietly save time and prevent mistakes.
Q: When you look back on the journey from intern to COO, what stands out most?
I don't really think about it in terms of titles. What stands out is being part of a place that trusts people early, teaches you quickly, and gives you room to grow. If you do good work, keep learning, and care about the team and the customer, you naturally end up taking on more responsibility over time.
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting as an intern today?
Be curious, ask questions early, and don't worry about not knowing everything. Focus on being useful day to day — communicate clearly, take responsibility for what's in front of you, and keep building both your technical skills and your people skills. If you can do both, you'll naturally have more impact.
