Q&A with SAP's Shai Agassi

by Interview conducted by Business Week

When German software giant SAP on Mar. 28 announced the resignation of executive Shai Agassi, it marked the end of a remarkable six-year relationship. Agassi, an Israeli serial entrepreneur, had been swallowed up by a giant German company—and was not immediately spat out. In fact, after SAP bought a small company Agassi ran called TopTier he became a protégé of SAP founder and then-CEO Hasso Plattner. Together, the two designed the company's post-dot-com technology strategy. Agassi was elevated to the company's executive board in 2002 and later put in charge of all products. Plattner wanted him to eventually become co-CEO along with another executive, Leo Apotheker, but when Plattner and current CEO Henning Kagermann decided to extend Kagermann's reign until 2009, Agassi decided to leave the company. He will remain as a "special consultant" to Plattner, and keep an office at SAP's Silicon Valley operation. BusinessWeek Senior Writer Steve Hamm interviewed Agassi after the company's announcement. Here's what he had to say about…

Why he left

Leo and I were notified more than 18 months ago that we'd be co-CEOs after Henning left in 2007. The idea was that after five years working with Leo I'd do five more years on my own, so it was going to be a many-year commitment. I have done 4 million miles of flights in the past six years. There were implications for myself and my career. The other angle was the environmental bug that got into me as part of what I do at the World Economic Forum. I asked myself what are the passions that drive me forward? In the next 10 years of my life, which would have more impact? And climate change is where I could make more impact.

On rumors that he and Apotheker had a power struggle

These are strange rumors…. If there was a struggle it was in perception from the underlying team.

How he made the decision

In early January I was told about Henning's decision [to stay until 2009]. My decision was reinforced at [The World Economic Forum meeting in late January] in Davos. We had more talks. There were a lot of meetings between Hasso and Henning and me. Hasso asked me to reconsider. Today was the final decision, when the supervisory board met to decide on things.

His plans as an environmental activist

The idea is to help make the massive conversion of cars to being electric vehicles. It's the next generation of transportation. I'm not sure of the format, whether it will be a company. But you know me: I don't do anything that doesn't have a business angle.

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