The poster boy of Indian SaaS is braving a brutal global tech meltdown and trying to keep Freshworks steady. What might come handy is turning deaf and building credibility
Bengaluru, December 21, 2022. The meeting starts at noon. It has been three days since the thrilling clash between Argentina and France. Though billed as one of the greatest finals in the history of Fifa, there were strong murmurs—and debate—around the role played by luck in deciding the winner of the most coveted sporting title in the world. Did Argentina get lucky in the penalty shootout, and did France run out of luck after a brilliant late surge were the two questions with which the interview started. The context, I made it clear to the interviewee, was luck, skill and fair game.
Girish Mathrubootham quickly dribbles into the debate. “If you are playing a game,” underscored the man who rolled out FC Madras in 2019 to promote grassroots football in the city, “then you must understand the rules of the game.” Whether penalty shootout is luck or skill is immaterial. What’s crucial to understand, stresses the founder and chief executive officer of Freshworks, is that the shootout is very much part of the rule, and the game was played fairly. “Somebody celebrated and somebody cried. But that’s part of the game,” reckons the founder. “Everybody followed the rules.”