Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Fortune

Nick Lichtenberg

This CEO has had 6 major jobs in Silicon Valley: How Dennis Woodside built a career on saying yes to hard problems

Dennis Woodside Silicon Valley Girish Mathrubootham Freshworks Google Lenovo Diane Brady Dropbox Impossible Foods

dw (Credit: Kristy Walker/Fortune)

Dennis Woodside has one of the most eclectic résumés in Silicon Valley — a former M&A lawyer turned McKinsey consultant turned Google sales chief turned Motorola Mobility CEO turned Dropbox COO turned Impossible Foods president. (Whew.)

Now the chief executive of Freshworks, a Nasdaq-listed software company with 75,000 customers, Woodside sat down with Fortune‘s Diane Brady at the Fortune COO Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, to reflect on a career built less on a master plan than on a willingness to follow big challenges — even when those challenges came with no roadmap.

Sign up to read this article

Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here

Top stories on inkl right now

Christa Pike’s lawyers hold press conference after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Christa Pike’s lawyers hold press conference after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Tennessee prisoner awake and speaking after surviving state’s attempt to execute her last Wednesday

The Guardian - US

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ’s civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to polls

The Guardian - US

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

A Michigan woman admitted filing federal tax returns that understated her income by more than $1.6 million, with prosecutors saying the money included cash taken from her employer and gambling proceeds. According to the IRS, Erin Patti-Coveyou of Moran, Michigan, pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a federal…

The Times of India

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Danilo Alves Silva claimed he had bought ‘prop costume’ on Amazon

The Independent UK

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

'Be Careful Taking Your Children': Mum Warns Parents After Son Dies Trapped in Slide With Shirt Around His Neck

'Be Careful Taking Your Children': Mum Warns Parents After Son Dies Trapped in Slide With Shirt Around His Neck

A 13-year-old Miami boy died after his shirt became caught on a protruding screw inside a playground slide. Authorities temporarily closed the park while investigating.

International Business Times UK

Tropical Storm Isaias near Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane

Tropical Storm Isaias near Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane

Isaias, which succeeded Tropical Depression Nine, would be the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic season

The Guardian - US

Related Stories

Top stories on inkl right now

Christa Pike’s lawyers hold press conference after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Christa Pike’s lawyers hold press conference after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Tennessee prisoner awake and speaking after surviving state’s attempt to execute her last Wednesday

The Guardian - US

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ’s civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to polls

The Guardian - US

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

A Michigan woman admitted filing federal tax returns that understated her income by more than $1.6 million, with prosecutors saying the money included cash taken from her employer and gambling proceeds. According to the IRS, Erin Patti-Coveyou of Moran, Michigan, pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a federal…

The Times of India

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Danilo Alves Silva claimed he had bought ‘prop costume’ on Amazon

The Independent UK

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

'Be Careful Taking Your Children': Mum Warns Parents After Son Dies Trapped in Slide With Shirt Around His Neck

'Be Careful Taking Your Children': Mum Warns Parents After Son Dies Trapped in Slide With Shirt Around His Neck

A 13-year-old Miami boy died after his shirt became caught on a protruding screw inside a playground slide. Authorities temporarily closed the park while investigating.

International Business Times UK

Tropical Storm Isaias near Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane

Tropical Storm Isaias near Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane

Isaias, which succeeded Tropical Depression Nine, would be the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic season

The Guardian - US

Our Picks

Man goes to Tim Hortons and sees some Harry Potter-themed donuts. Then he takes a closer look: ‘I was deeply concerned’

Those are definitely not going to the Hogwarts feast!

We Got This Covered

Ex-Dunkin’ worker says her paycheck was withheld. Then she airs alleged dirty laundry about drinks, creamers, and more: ‘When you’re not looking’

She allegedly was treated differently after getting a new job

We Got This Covered

Ultraprocessed Meal Raised Insulin More Than a Calorie-Matched Whole-Food Meal in Small Virginia Tech Brain Imaging Trial

Two 300-calorie meals with matching nutrients drew different insulin and metabolic responses in a small Virginia Tech trial. Here is what it means.

Trump may kill free chips and salsa

Tariffs on tomatoes could turn one of dining's smallest gestures of hospitality into a line item

Selena Gomez Fans Beg Her To Dump Benny Blanco After Latest Comment About Their Relationship

What seemed like a funny story about their relationship left some viewers deeply uncomfortable, with critics accusing Benny Blanco of repeatedly embarrassing Selena Gomez in public.

AI can help with academic research but doesn’t always get it right – here are some tips to check the information you receive

Almost 25% of adults in the United States are using artificial intelligence chatbots on a daily basis, a 2026 Pew Research Center study found.

The Conversation

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.

Download on the AppStore

Get it on Google Play