NewCo Boston Host Company Fun Facts – Jack Little, President and Co-founder, Mathworks

1. What’s the one word
to describe how people will feel after leaving your New Co session?

Inspired.  You will
see how algorithmic software is changing the world and making our lives better
through everything it’s running in – cars, robots, medical devices, IoT systems,
and more – and how MathWorks tools enable, empower, and accelerate the engineers
and scientists who are creating the future.

2. What book do you
think everyone on your team should read?

Built to Last, by Jim Collins.  This excellent book studies and explains the
how and the why behind building successful and enduring companies. 

3. What did you miss in
the interview for the worst hire you ever made?

There were work-culture differences that we picked up on but
chose to discount, because of the person’s strong experience. This ultimately led to internal conflict and
delayed the growth of the organization. 

4. If you could have a
beer with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?

Neil Armstrong.  He
was an engineer’s engineer, not to mention his other accomplishments.  His experiences, outlook, and wisdom would be
really interesting and insightful. 

5. Why Boston? (Why do
you live/work here, why did you choose to start your company here, etc.?)

Boston has great talent, with more universities and students
than any other city in the country. 
Geographically, it’s ideally located with time-zone overlap and easy
travel to Europe.  As a place to live,
it’s hard to beat — lots of choices for housing, world-class cultural
institutions, fantastic sports teams, and you can easily get away to the
mountains and the beaches nearby. 

About Mathworks: MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on its products to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development.