The People in Charge at Databricks as It Moves Toward a Potential IPO

Seven data scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, founded Databricks in 2013 to build a business around open-source software for data storage and analysis. As the company nears a possible initial public offering 11 years later, Databricks can boast a rare feat for startups its age: Nearly all of its co-founders still work there.

The tight-knit founding team includes CEO Ali Ghodsi, who meets weekly with four of his co-founders. The same four co-founders are part of a 15-person group with whom Ghodsi meets three times a week; that group includes Ghodsi's 13 direct reports and two other senior leaders. A sixth co-founder is Databricks’ executive chair. (See the members of the executive team in The Information's Databricks Org Chart.)