The spin doctor comparison

Arun Gupta: No, I don't think that I'm a spin doctor. I have a true belief in my product that comes with the understanding that there are limitations to it. As a practitioner of the product, I'm aware of them and I'm not shy about sharing my experiences. All software has limitations anyway, but the key part is that we're listening to customers' feedback and constantly improving it.

I've always believed in the value of education and selling happens because of that. Selling has never been the main focus of whatever I've done.

Geertjan Wielenga: What do you like about this type of work?

Arun Gupta: I created a role for myself in this area back in my Sun Microsystems days. In the early days of my career, I focused on writing code, getting a piece out, and fixing a bug. That was exciting to me. But the more I started talking to customers, the more I realized that the most exciting part is telling...