How do you pronounce Odoo?

Fabien Pinckaers. – “Like Google or Yahoo. It’s ‘Odoo’. This simplicity says a lot about the company: we want business management software to be accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

You sold your first piece of software when you were 13. Do you still remember who it was to?

“Yes, at Transports Verts, a transport company in Brussels. He was a friend of my father’s. I was working on invoicing and customer management, and I learnt how VAT works. But at the time, I mainly saw it as a fun project. I was looking for things to develop. If it wasn’t that, it would have been something else.

Even today, you still spend a great deal of your time working on the product. That’s rare at your level.

“Because nothing is more important than the product. Many executives lose sight of the bigger picture entirely. They spend their time in business circles, discussing positioning, new departments and organisational structures. I think many companies would benefit from getting back to the heart of the business.

When you say “product”, don’t you just mean code?

“No. I work with developers, product teams, and the people who draw up the specifications. I’m not just sitting alone in front of a screen writing code. And I also talk to loads of people. A product isn’t just about writing lines of code.

How would you summarise Odoo without it sounding too much like a product description?

“A suite of business applications for all companies. But that’s a bit of a dull description. So sometimes I say: the difference between us and SAP is that our users are happy.

Isn't that just a punchline?

“No. For a long time, software was mainly used to organise information for finance departments. The aim was to consolidate figures and workflows. Today, that has become the baseline. The real challenge is the productivity of each individual employee. Sales staff need to be more efficient, as do accountants, logistics staff and project managers.

You’re taking pay transparency to the extreme.

“Yes. We already publish average salaries broken down by role and experience. On our website, candidates can put together their own package: a car, fuel allowance, days off, and benefits. For us, these are standard tools.

This approach will become increasingly important with the European directive on pay transparency.

“Yes, but I think a lot of companies overcomplicate issues that shouldn’t be complicated. Once you’ve decided how you operate and how you pay staff, it becomes fairly straightforward. After that, everyone can always choose to place greater emphasis on training, benefits or support.

[At Odoo, recruitment has become a streamlined process. Candidates find out their salary before they even apply, book their interview directly in the recruiter’s calendar, take their technical tests online and receive a quick response. “On average, it takes a week from the moment someone applies to the moment they’re hired,” explains Fabien Pinckaers. The company claims to recruit only 1.5% of applicants. To support 50% annual growth, Odoo relies heavily on employee referrals, which account for 40% of hires. Staff track their referrals via a gamified system featuring levels, rewards and bonuses. “People say there’s a war for talent, but often they haven’t put anything in place,” sums up the Belgian founder, with a dig at those who are constantly complaining…]

Do you think companies underestimate the value of their tools?

“Absolutely. Many companies invest heavily in consultancy, but the tools themselves are still underestimated. Yet transforming a company’s tools is a game-changer. It makes a real difference to the day-to-day lives of all employees.

You talk a lot about ‘vibe coding’ and AI. Aren’t SMEs worried?

“Small SMEs often don’t even need them. The standard modules cover a huge range of scenarios. Then, as businesses become more complex, they want to tailor the tools to their needs. And customers are demanding this. They’re already doing things themselves using AI.

Do you think AI still plays a major role in communication?

“Yes, because there’s a lot of hype and grandstanding. We, on the other hand, keep our feet firmly on the ground. What interests us are practical applications. We see a lot of makeshift tools that become impossible to maintain. We want to build on solid foundations that already work.

You also say that AI models make fewer errors when processing Odoo code.

“Because Odoo accounts for around 2% of the public Python code available online. So the models were exposed to a huge amount of our code during their training. That helps.

Could you have made a lot more money by tightening up the model?

“Of course. We could probably double our prices without losing many customers. But our goal has never been purely financial. We want to make a difference and make these tools accessible.

Do you think your competitors have overlooked SMEs?

“Yes. SAP, Microsoft, Oracle… Many have failed in this market because of the complexity and the cost. SMEs need simplicity. For a very long time, this software was designed for very large organisations.

And yet, you’re now attracting major corporations as well.

“Because they now want the same things as smaller organisations: simplicity, agility and projects that can be rolled out quickly. Nobody wants to wait another three years to implement software.

Have large corporations become more open to technology?

“Yes. In the past, a solution had to go through 36 committees. Nowadays, companies have often already tried out Odoo in a department, on a project or on an individual’s own initiative. The brand is now well established.

In Luxembourg, Odoo seems to have been quietly gaining momentum.

“Yes. We’ve been based in Windhof since 2012. But since 2021, we’ve really set out to tackle the local market. We’ve grown from 6 to 45 employees and now have 1,600 paying customers.

And even more so if you include the free features.

“Yes. With free offers and system integrators deploying Odoo for their clients, we’re close to 5,000 active databases in Luxembourg. On a national scale, that’s a significant figure.

Can electronic invoicing further accelerate this trend?

“Yes. In every country where it has been introduced, it has served as a gateway. An SME starts with invoicing, then gradually discovers the rest of the tools.

You’re valued at nearly $10bn having raised just $10 million. Why not sell?

“Because the market is huge. Many companies still use Excel or a whole host of makeshift tools. We have less than 1% market share.

Do you still see huge potential for growth ahead?

“Yes, because we’re not just competing against rivals. We’re also trying to build a market and educate businesses that don’t yet have a proper integrated management system.

You’re hiring 3,000 people this year. How are you managing that?

“With a great deal of automation. On average, it takes a week from the time someone applies until they are hired.

That’s incredibly fast on this scale.

“Yes, but companies are often ridiculous when it comes to this. Many take three months to recruit. Who’s going to wait three months for a job offer? We’ve automated a great deal.

You hire “only” 1.5% of applicants.

“Yes. To recruit 3,000 people, you need around 200,000 applicants. So we’ve built a proper sourcing machine.

You often seem critical of traditional managers.

“What I criticise most of all is inaction. Making mistakes isn’t a big deal. To innovate, you have to experiment, and that means you’ll sometimes get it wrong. What’s worse is putting up with problems without trying to solve them.

Is your organisation still very hierarchical despite its size?

“No. The hierarchy is very flat. We operate more like a university project. Managers are there to support the teams, not to control them.

Do you still manage to maintain that spirit with over 7,500 employees?

“It’s more difficult now. For a long time, I knew loads of people by their first names. Then I went to India for a year, and when I came back, the company had grown so much that it wasn’t possible anymore.

What is your long-term goal?

“In the world of operating systems, there are only a few major players left. The same goes for office suites. I believe that business management software will follow the same path. Our aim is that, when there are only two or three global players left, Odoo will be one of them.

Yet you seem quite detached from the hype surrounding the tech world.

“Yes, because I see it mainly as marketing for Odoo. If I do interviews, it’s to promote the product and the company. Personally, I’m less interested in that.

Even if it opens doors.

“Yes, that’s true. What has surprised me in recent years is seeing just how many doors are now opening up. It’s very easy to speak with ministers, top executives or the heads of major companies.

And doesn’t that change the way you work?

“No. Our responsibility remains towards our customers. Nothing else really changes.”