But SAP used to rock more!
Hasso Plattner was also SAP's guilty conscience. What many people knew, but nobody said, was that Plattner always found words of admonition, criticism and motivation. Naturally, Plattner was not always right, but his words were always an appeal, a reminder to SAP employees: there is more to be done!
It is true that SAP rocked more under Hasso Plattner. Not every idea was a hit and not every new product was a bestseller: Hasso Plattner had hoped for more from the Hana database. The ideas of the young former SAP Chief Technology Officer Shai Agassi were supposed to be more sustainable. Professor Henning Kagermann presented ESA when SOA had long been the market leader. And finally, together with former Chief Technology Officer Vishal Sikka, it was also about the authorship of the in-memory computing database. Hasso Plattner initiated and completed most of SAP's technical developments. He has a visionary view of developments in IT. He always expressed his point of view pointedly and loudly. He rocked SAP.
No SAP Executive Board or Supervisory Board member has the ability to inspire or disturb, criticize and motivate on an emotional level. The counter-question is permitted: In times of governance and compliance, is rocking emotion perhaps no longer desired or permitted? Has Hasso Plattner fallen out of time?
For the IT industry, the answer is: SAP, like many other IT companies, will continue to need an emotional, inspiring and visionary mastermind who rocks it loud and bold. The IT scene thrives on charismatic personalities. The realization that SAP rocked more under Hasso Plattner does not bode well for the future of the global ERP market leader.
Plattner's stage presence with an electric guitar (2001 in Lisbon) or as a campaigner for the disruptive innovations of an in-memory computing database at numerous Sapphires between 2011 and 2019 is an important identification for the SAP community. There is currently no executive or supervisory board member at SAP who can let it rock, even against the vague notion of good corporate governance (compliance!). Not every idea has to become a number one hit, but SAP should continue to try to get into the charts with its own innovations in the future.
