“I've had the pleasure of being an intern at NetApp twice: the first time as in engineer and the second time in product management. Both times I was struck by Dan’s amazing ability to stay grounded while leading a company to success through a period of pronounced macroeconomic difficulty. Dan and his staff epitomized NetApp’s friendly but driven culture by working tremendously hard to balance their executive leadership duties with constantly being available to their employees. For Dan this meant conducting regular Q&A sessions where he’d respond honestly and frankly to often difficult questions from employees, going to speaking talks and social events where he actively tried to meet and talk to as many people as possible, charity events, and even conducting career advice and mentorship talks with the interns. He did all of this while simultaneously directing the leadership, strategy, and vision of NetApp such that the company actually gained market share in a recession. Never once did I question the company’s direction or management; Dan’s tireless work to keep everyone in the loop was both refreshing and relieving. Dan truly went above and beyond the call of duty and was an example of a model CEO. I didn’t choose to start my career at NetApp because the food is good or it because pays well. I chose to accept my offer because I was respected, encouraged, and engaged by Dan directly – as an intern. I’ve heard stories from friends of mine in established positions at other large tech companies who’ve never met or seen their CEO in person. As a summer intern I got to make PB&J sandwiches with mine. Dan truly defined the culture for NetApp, and I hope that one day I’ll have a chance to be as exemplary a leader as he was.”
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