More than mice—an interview with Logitech CTO Dr. Sailesh Chutani
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“Starting a company is an emotionally challenging journey,” said Dr. Sailesh Chutani, CTO of Logitech, in our interview. He must know: With decades of experience in both the startup and corporate world, he now brings his wealth of expertise to Logitech. One of his objectives is to advance innovation by collaborating with Swiss startups—in partnership with Venturelab. We (digitally) sat down with Dr. Chutani to look beyond computer mice and keyboards to find out what makes Logitech one of the world’s top design companies and how startups contribute to its success.
Dr. Sailesh Chutani is the Chief Technology Officer of Logitech and responsible for the company's technology vision as well as product and business innovation. He joined Logitech in February 2019, bringing more than two decades of experience in senior leadership and technology roles at innovative companies across the health care, consumer and enterprise software, telecommunications, and media industries. Most recently, he served as executive entrepreneur in residence at Amazon, where he was responsible for building new opportunities in areas like robotics, AI, and sustainability. Prior to that, Dr. Chutani was the co-founder and CEO of Mobisante, an innovator of mobile ultrasound solutions. He holds a PhD from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, an MS from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a BTech, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, all in computer science.
On July 8, 2020, Dr. Sailesh Chutani and Jean-Michel Chardon, Logitech’s head of AI/CTO Office and site leader, will participate in the Logitech Fireside Chat. At this exclusive event, 10 selected startups will have the opportunity to present how their product or service could work with Logitech’s solutions. To shorten the wait time, we asked Dr. Chutani about how his experience in the corporate and the startup world influences his work, who is involved in designing human experiences, and what he expects from startups that are interested in partnering with Logitech.
In Switzerland, Logitech is known as “the mice guys,” but mice or computer peripherals cover only a fraction of your business. Dr. Chutani, what do “the mice guys” actually do? We are definitely more than mice and keyboards! If you look at three of our largest businesses, you will see that we have diversified and grown as a company. The business that most people are familiar with is the creativity and productivity business, which includes mice, keyboard, and a few other devices used by developers and content creators. The second big business for us is video collaboration, which includes webcams and video conferencing solutions for businesses. Part of what we are doing there is bringing the simplicity of a consumer device to corporate teleconferencing. The third business is in gaming. We are one of the premier providers of tools used by online gamers. Esports is one of the biggest trends to come out in the last several years, and there are now leagues and tournaments dedicated to esports. The growth in all three of these businesses has accelerated due to the changes brought about by the current pandemic. In addition, we also have other businesses such as music and PC speakers, and peripherals for devices made by Apple.
The simplicity that you mentioned always goes hand in hand with design. In March, Fast Company honored Logitech as one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Design.” What does Logitech do differently than other companies?
It is interesting because everyone can work off the same playbook, right? People understand what it means to bring in design thinking; that has been well studied. But putting it in practice, actually moving your culture and internalizing it is difficult. This starts with fully understanding the customers’ needs and then bringing in the right perspectives and talent that helps us learn, iterate, and move forward. This is theoretically straightforward, but making it part of the culture takes hard work. Those are the areas where we made significant and sustained investments and kept at it, and that is how we got to where we are today.
Logitech designs human experiences. What or who is involved in designing a headset or a keyboard that provides or improves an experience?
That is a very complex question. Creating something that is simple, intuitive, and delightful, that addresses a fundamental human need, is incredibly hard. It starts with understanding the underlying need. Next, you need to engage with the stakeholders to refine that understanding, try things out, test your hypothesis, and iterate. It is an inherently multi-disciplinary activity and includes perspectives from industrial design, technology, and social sciences. It is also critical to understand what technology is capable of today and what it will be capable of in the future. Once you have something concrete, like an initial product or a minimum viable product, it allows you to have a conversation with your potential and actual customers, which starts the improvement cycle. It is a fairly complex learning process. I think that is the keyword here: It is a process, and it is a learning process that requires intellectual rigor and honesty. If you look at the trajectory of our products, you can see this learning process in action.
When I buy a headset, I do not want to notice that I am wearing it. I want the headset to blend in with the environment or my activity so that it feels like an extension of my ears. Is this invisibility the goal of the design process?
Absolutely. For me, this is the ultimate goal: that the technology just disappears. It becomes part of who you are and becomes unobtrusive. You take it for granted and stop noticing it. That is a very compelling end goal. Since you mention headsets, we know that customers have different needs. As an example, women and men have different head sizes and different hairdos. We want to design our products to serve all those needs. That is why we bring different voices into the design process to make sure we understand those needs. But the goal is always the same: Make the technology so simple and easy that it disappears in the background without calling attention to itself but serving the purpose that you bought it for.
So, there is more to a speaker or headset than meets the eye, and when you talk to startups, you are not necessarily just looking for someone who can improve the laser in a mouse. What are you looking for when scouting startups for possible partnerships or even acquisitions?
We have different kinds of engagements with startups. Our business groups are always looking for startups in their markets that have reached a stage where they have complementary products, customers, and revenues and are looking for ways to scale their business. These are the tuck-in acquisitions, and they are the sweet spot because we can take a startup’s product line and use our channels, marketing expertise, and manufacturing know-how to scale the business.
We also acquire companies to pursue new areas and directions that are strategically important for us —when acquiring a new skill or know-how would be the fastest and most cost-effective through a startup. An example of that is Streamlabs, which we acquired last year, to help us understand software-as-a-service (Saas) business.
In addition, we look for technologies that we think are fundamental and will shape the future. Startups have the advantage that they are singularly focused, and when they run well, they are extremely efficient. They can move quickly to de-risk key technologies. So, it becomes very attractive to speed things up by acquiring those technologies and the talent behind it. That can serve as a basis for a broader integration of technology in our portfolio. Zurich-based Upicto, which we acquired in 2015, fits that goal, for example.
With your own startup, Mobisante, you blended the medical industry with the technology. How do you use this experience and your expertise from the corporate world to “bring together” the Swiss startup ecosystem?
There are several good ways for us to engage with the Swiss ecosystem. I think what we have started to do with Venturelab is one way. This engagement will help us tap into the expertise of the Swiss startups and give us a way to articulate our needs, what we are looking for, and how we can partner. One of the other things that we have done historically is to engage with startups as technology partners. I touched on this, but we partner with startups to test ideas and build proof of concepts. We also do licensing or joint development if it makes business sense for us. What we have not done, even though we get a lot of requests, is to take a startup’s products and put them on the market through our channels. That does not usually make business sense for us. We can also offer advice and expertise. Many of our senior executives serve on boards and advisory boards. These roles are a good way for startups to get the industry and market perspective.
All of these can be extremely valuable because they validate the startup’s market or business strategy, and they help them raise money because they have a partnership with a company like Logitech.
How can corporations and startups strengthen these relationships to better innovate together? What can they learn from each other?
It starts with understanding how each of them operates and what they care about. This is where I think I have something valuable to contribute because I have been part of both these worlds. I know what it is like when you are a startup, always raising money, moving quickly, and learning. And I also know what it is like to be an established company with P&Ls and shareholders to manage. A good starting point is to understand what each is dealing with and where it makes sense for them to connect. It is fundamentally about relationship building. One can start with small engagements and keep each other in the loop on interesting developments as a way to build trust. These can pave the way later to a more comprehensive business endeavor.
In a 2011 interview with Startup America, you explained that entrepreneurs meet a lot of naysayers who claim that something cannot be done. Entrepreneurs should listen to criticism but not necessarily take it at face value and feel blocked by it. You are in a position where you give entrepreneurs advice. How do you, as both an entrepreneur and CTO, make sure that startups benefit from your experience and guidance?
One of the things that people often do not mention when talking about being an entrepreneur and starting a company is that it is an emotionally challenging journey. If you are truly innovating, you are ahead of the curve and are creating something that has never been done before. Therefore, one of the most common responses people will have is that what you are proposing cannot be done, or it does not make sense. But you have the courage of conviction, and you have an insight that keeps you going. Every engagement gives you more information. While you still have to pay attention to what is being critiqued, you have to be also emotionally and intellectually strong enough to put it in the right place. Critiques and feedback can help you find new ways to think about your business.
What I tell people is that on any given day, you are dealing with tens if not hundreds of rejections and setbacks at different levels, but you still have to keep moving. And that requires a lot of perseverance and forbearance. Having advisors who have been through such a journey themselves can help, since they bring empathy. Just hearing from someone who has had a similar experience can be reassuring. Advisors also have more distance and can be a stable guiding force. But the engagement is driven by the entrepreneurs: One can offer advice, but it only has a benefit when there is a receptivity on the other end.
Did you ever think about giving up because enough people told you that your idea was not good enough?
Oh, anyone who is honest with themselves will tell you that they think about this all the time. With every major setback. But you have to box it. Part of it is recognizing that you have experienced disappointment. By denying it, you would be making the problem potentially worse. So, you end up creating rituals. I had a ritual, where after every major disappointment, I would block out some time to recognize what had happened and what I was feeling and experiencing. And then I would go back to focus on what needed to happen next. I went from blocking half a day to blocking five minutes!
My guess is that many entrepreneurs have these rituals that take them from understanding what has happened and what it means to them. And then they figure out what to do next because you do not have an option. You have to keep moving and focus on the next steps. This is where a strong ecosystem can help: Enough people have been on that journey and are able and willing to help entrepreneurs learn. This starts a mutually beneficial cycle.
One opportunity to engage with that ecosystem will be at the Startup Champions Seed Night in September. There, startups will have a chance to pitch their ideas to the public and to executives. What advice would you give startups when it comes to pitching? How do you convince investors about your idea in less than a minute?
The two things you absolutely want to get across: First, communicate the customer need and your differentiated solution that addresses the need. Second, show your conviction, enthusiasm, and commitment. Ultimately, that is what matters. Most experienced investors know that your endpoint is going to be very different from the starting point. You will change, pivot, and learn. So, what they are looking for is if you will stay with it. Do you have the courage of conviction, drive, and emotional and intellectual forbearance? Things like a strong business model are important details, but those are the two elements that you want to get right. If you do not get those two elements right, people will not tune into the rest.
At the Fireside Chat in July, startups will have a chance to meet with you and possibly showcase their conviction. What can startups expect? Could you give us a little preview?
I am excited to learn more about startups in Switzerland and find out how we can work with them! Even though we have been very active and opportunistic, the work with Venturelab is a way for us to be more systematic and more transparent and open. And the Fireside Chat is a good starting point. We will cover some of the aspects we just discussed, such as what we look for, what we see happening in the marketplace, and what are some ways to engage with us. But I also want to have a true conversation. I would love to learn what the startups are seeing both in technologies and in their markets and find out what would be mutually beneficial.
