Episode #63
The Doctor turned Founder & CEO at Quantum Networks Group ft. Charlene Li
Charlene Li dreamed of being a doctor. She became a serial disruptor instead. The New York Times bestselling author and Quantum Networks Group founder joins Kristi Faltorusso on She So Suite. Charlene traces her path from Harvard neurobiology to the early internet to founding Altimeter. She shares how she built an analyst firm that beat Gartner by giving research away free. She talks managing people, knowing when to stop, and disrupting with a smile. Timestamps 0:00 - Preview & Introduction 0:50 - Meet Charlene Li 2:45 - Childhood dream: becoming a doctor like dad 3:25 - The pivot from medicine to social sciences at Harvard 6:10 - "Everyone in business is tall, white and male" 7:55 - Monitor Group, HBS, and betting on the internet 9:10 - A career in disruption and finding superpowers 11:30 - Why she stopped wanting to manage people 17:00 - Working at Forrester 20:13 - Researching and Experimenting 22:51 - AI's ability to shift powers 26:30 - Challenges in setting up the company 28:30 - A painful layoff and the shame around failure 30:56 - Lessons from selling the company 33:55 - Building Altimeter & The free-research disruption strategy 40:30 - Empowered women empower women 43:15 - Be honest with yourself Join over 16,000 professionals who have signed up to hear real and relatable stories, expert advice from a c-level executive, and gain access to resources to help make them better CS professionals and leaders at https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/the-journey-cs-newsletter Connect with the guest: Charlene Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/ Connect with Kristi Faltorusso: Website: https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/ Follow the Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499 To learn more about Wednesday Women check out their Website: https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/ LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/ Connect with the Show Producer: Manali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/ _____________________ About She's So Suite Podcast: Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.
