Key Takeaways
- Sam Levy, who leads NetSuite's $4 billion Go-to-Market organization, makes a bold forecast: 90-95% of future CEOs will emerge from sales or marketing backgrounds.
- This shift is driven by the commoditization of technology; building products has become easier, making differentiated messaging and distribution the core challenge.
- The crucial skill moves from creating a product to articulating “what are we building and why for who,” emphasizing the role of a compelling narrative.
- This signals a reversal from the past two decades, where engineering and technical prowess were often the preferred path to top leadership in many companies.
From Engineers to Evangelists
Sam Levy, a veteran in scaling commercial organizations, believes the C-suite is about to see a dramatic change. From his vantage point leading NetSuite’s sprawling Go-to-Market strategy, he predicts a future where chief executives are almost exclusively drawn from sales or marketing. Levy’s reasoning is simple: the ease of technology creation has flipped the script on what truly drives value. “My prediction in the future is that technology is coming ubiquitous now with everybody out there and everything can be created so quickly,” Levy explains, leading him to conclude that “90 to 95% of all next round of CEOs will come out of sales or marketing.”
This isn't about hustle, which Levy attributes to early career sales roles, but about the strategic art of differentiation. Devin Mathews, co-host of Private Equity Funcast, echoes this sentiment. He points out that when “building the thing is gets easier and easier… it’s the what are we building and why uh for who is the hard part.” In a market flooded with innovation, the battle shifts from product features to perceived value. The ability to craft and deliver a narrative that resonates becomes the bottleneck for growth and market capture.
The Commoditization of 'Sickest Things'
For the past 10 to 20 years, technical expertise often paved the way to the top. Engineering founders or product visionaries were celebrated as the ultimate leaders. But Levy and Mathews argue that era is fading. “Everyone seems to create the new sickest thing. It looks great,” Levy observes, reflecting a market where product parity is increasingly common. This ubiquity means that simply having a superior product is no longer enough. The real challenge, especially for portfolio companies, is getting “grounded” and understanding how to stand out.
Mathews makes the case for distribution as the modern differentiator: “How do you get good distribution? You tell a compelling story to people who have pain.” He contrasts this with the “20 years of high-tech. High-tech wins” mindset, where the product itself commanded attention. In an environment where creating novel technology is faster and less capital-intensive than ever, the core competence shifts to the chief storyteller. This leader isn't just about selling; they are the architect of a company’s identity and its connection to the market.
Why It Matters
This perspective signals a growing tension for private equity firms assessing new deals and evaluating portfolio company leadership. For years, technical founders and product-centric CEOs were often seen as the primary value drivers, especially in growth-equity and software deals. Levy’s prediction suggests that leadership diligence will increasingly emphasize go-to-market acumen, messaging clarity, and the ability to articulate a unique value proposition in a crowded market. This shift will likely impact how deal teams weigh executive team composition and how LPs evaluate GPs’ strategies for value creation in an increasingly commoditized technology landscape.