The right future
Chen’s original plans for Sybase are paying off, as the company posted 2005 revenue of $818.7 million and an $85.6 million profit, compared to an operating loss of $25.5 million in
2001.
To keep the numbers moving upward, Chen says the company continues to look a few years out and determine where profits will come from based on market shift predictions. He
says that keeping a conservative to pessimistic view allows the team to clearly identify potential changes and how Sybase can fit into those changes.
He is confident in Sybase’s future and position as an industry leader, but he knows continued progress is not a casual stroll.
“I don’t think the bumpiness will ever go away in this industry,” Chen says. “I focus on: Is the company fundamentally strong? Do I have the technology and the talents? Do I have a
good vision? Do I have customers that like us? Do I have enough cash to weather the storm?
“You check off all these as yes, then you have a fundamentally strong company. Then the bumps and bruises are just part of the journey.”
That journey has been a challenging one for Chen, but those difficult choices early on have paid off. Beyond the dramatic bottom line turnaround, 80 of the Fortune 100 companies
now use Sybase’s technologies.
"We have the DNA of the company to make money,” Chen says. “The company scales and reacts very quickly, whether we’re in good times or bad. We have never looked back, and
we’ve never lost money ever since. There is some goodness that came out of the whole thing, but it has been a long-term struggle.”
HOW TO REACH: Sybase Inc., www.sybase.com