The Digital Executive – Ep. 1048: Quentin de Quelen on Embracing Open Source and Evolving Leadership in Tech

Overview:
In this engaging 10-minute episode, host Brian from Coruzant Technologies interviews Quentin de Quelen, CEO of Meilisearch, exploring Quentin's journey from his roots in rural Brittany, France, to leading a global open-source search technology company. The conversation delves into the influence of Quentin’s upbringing, the evolving demands of tech leadership, strategic choices around open source, and the rapidly changing landscape of search technology.

Quentin’s Origins: Building Things That Matter

[00:57 – 01:59]

• Influence of Family Roots: Quentin shares how growing up in a small village in Brittany, with a father in carpentry, instilled a passion for creation and meaningful work.
  • "Carpentry is like building, not only building houses, but about building things that matter for people. ... Creating houses is like creating code is like creating a company." – Quentin de Quelen [01:24]
• Coding and Constructing: The transition from making physical structures to crafting software—both are vehicles for positive impact.

Evolving Leadership in Tech

[02:34 – 03:27]

• Constant Role Evolution: Quentin emphasizes the necessity of adaptability as a founder and leader.
  • "You have to change your role every three to six months. ... Never be stuck on a role and know that we should evolve very often and nothing is written in stone." – Quentin de Quelen [02:34]
• Broadening Scope: His personal journey—from developer to manager, product, sales, and possibly further roles—demonstrates how tech leaders benefit from continuous growth and flexibility.
• Key Takeaway: Stagnation is antithetical to growth—embrace change and expect your role to constantly shift.

Open Source at the Heart of Meilisearch

[03:27 – 06:01]

• Purposeful Open Source: Open source isn’t a panacea; it should serve a clear strategy.
  • "Open source is not always the way to do things. ... It should be in the strategy of the company from the hub and it should be used for something." – Quentin de Quelen [04:01]
• Democratizing Access: The Meilisearch vision was to create high-quality search tools accessible to both large enterprises and emerging startups or projects with limited budgets.
• Community-Driven Approach: Large engineering undertakings require a vibrant community of contributors and integrators, which open source cultivates.
• Philosophy of Composability: Meilisearch focuses on interoperability, integrating with existing models instead of building proprietary alternatives.
  • "We want to be plugged to the ecosystem of models that already exist because there is plenty of very good ones all across the world and it's not our expertise." – Quentin de Quelen [05:12]
• Influence on Company Operations: Open source principles—transparency, async work, remote collaboration—are embedded in Meilisearch’s culture.
  • "We are a fully remote company. We are working all across the world. ... It's something that is possible also because we have an open source hub." – Quentin de Quelen [05:39]

Navigating the Fast-Moving Search Tech Landscape

[06:45 – 07:46]

• Relentless Curiosity: Quentin stays on top of the latest advances, constantly testing new search products—a recurring in-joke within his company.
  • "It's almost a joke internally in the company because I'm always trying every new products that are released." – Quentin de Quelen [06:48]
• Rapid Evolution: Search technology now moves at breakneck speed, differing dramatically from just a few years ago.
• Staying Ahead: Success depends on close customer feedback and a clear vision about future developments—anticipating needs 12- to 18-months ahead.
  • "We have to navigate through this by ... listening [to] our customer feedback ... but also have a very clear and precise opinion about what would be the world in the next 12 months, 18 months." – Quentin de Quelen [07:18]
• Unified Focus: Despite the uncertainty, Quentin expresses confidence and satisfaction with Meilisearch’s trajectory.

Notable Quotes

• On Creation: "Creating houses is like creating code is like creating a company." – Quentin de Quelen [01:56]
• On Leadership: "You have to change your role every three to six months ... nothing is written in stone." – Quentin de Quelen [02:36]
• On Open Source: "Open source is not always the way to do things. ... It should be in the strategy of the company from the hub and it should be used for something." – Quentin de Quelen [04:03]
• On Company Culture: "We are a fully remote company. We are working all across the world ... It's something that is possible also because we have an open source hub." – Quentin de Quelen [05:39]
• On the Future: "We have to navigate through this by ... listening [to] our customer feedback ... but also have a very clear and precise opinion about what would be the world in the next 12 months, 18 months." – Quentin de Quelen [07:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:57 – Quentin’s origins and influence of carpentry
• 02:34 – Lessons in evolving leadership
• 04:01 – Strategic role and value of open source at Meilisearch
• 06:45 – Staying ahead in a rapidly evolving search technology landscape

Final Takeaway:
Quentin de Quelen’s journey, as revealed in this episode, showcases the intersection of humble beginnings, adaptability in leadership, and a thoughtful commitment to open source. Meilisearch’s ongoing success is rooted in community, constant learning, and a willingness to reinvent itself in the rapidly shifting tech world.