Scaled MongoDB From $35M to $2B — Why He HATES the Word Playbook

About this episode

What does it really take to scale a software company from $35M to $2B ARR? In this episode of Hunters & Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Dan Barrett, SVP International at Figma and former MongoDB leader, to unpack the lessons behind one of SaaS's most remarkable growth stories.

Dan shares why he hates the word "playbook," how MongoDB evolved through multiple sales transformations, and why the best leaders focus on developing people—not following a rigid process. The conversation explores authenticity in leadership, building high-performance teams, scaling PLG and enterprise sales motions, customer success, AI's impact on software sales, and the leadership lessons that helped Dan grow from a first-time manager into one of the industry's most respected sales leaders.

In this episode:

• Scaling MongoDB from $35M to $2B ARR

• Why Dan hates the term "playbook"

• The leadership epiphany that changed his career

• Building trust without fear or intimidation

• PLG vs enterprise sales models

• What great sales organizations do differently

• How to develop future sales leaders

• Why authenticity is a leadership superpower

• AI, SaaS, and the future of enterprise sales Subscribe for more conversations with the leaders building the next generation of SaaS companies.

#HuntersAndUnicorns #DanBarrett #Figma #MongoDB #SalesLeadership #SaaS #EnterpriseSales #PLG #CustomerSuccess #b2bsales

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer

1:02 — Introduction & Sponsor

1:56 — Welcome Dan Barrett

2:35 — Dan's Career & the Epiphany Moment

9:00 — Pressure Before the Epiphany

10:02 — QBRs With John McMahon

11:50 — Fighting for Space to Change

13:37 — From MongoDB to Figma

17:21 — Where PLG Goes Wrong

19:00 — Rethinking the Playbook

23:55 — Learning What Works at Figma

31:46 — Playbook vs Authenticity

33:32 — Moving Into Customer Success

38:06 — Knowing When to Leave MongoDB

41:00 — Sustaining Energy for Nearly a Decade

43:31 — Hunters & Unicorns Origin Story

48:21 — Will Salespeople Survive AI

51:20 — The Future of Figma

54:03 — Closing