Spenser Skates, CEO and Co-Founder of Amplitude, understands that product analytics is more than a business tool, it’s a gateway to creating technology that never leaves users frustrated. Skates’ leadership is defined by his commitment to understanding and solving the right problems, not just the next ones. Rather than obsessing over product perfection from a technical lens, he insists on starting from the customer’s perspective—a lesson he learned the hard way at his first startup, Sonalight. At Amplitude, which he launched in 2012, he set a rule to speak with at least 30 customers before building anything. That level of intention has helped make Amplitude a category-defining leader in digital analytics, serving major companies including Dropbox, Capital One, and NBCUniversal.
Originally from the United States, Skates earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at MIT, he was inspired by thinkers like Paul Graham and Norman Borlaug, prompting him to view entrepreneurship as a lever for societal impact. Before founding Amplitude, he worked as an algorithmic trader at DRW Trading Group. At Amplitude, he’s not just the CEO—he's also the architect of its growth culture. Skates is deeply involved in setting company direction, structuring the leadership team, and fostering a mindset of ownership among employees. He values those who think beyond their roles and actively ask how they can contribute to Amplitude’s success.
That mindset traces back to his earliest business venture at age 16, when he charged $30 an hour for tech support in his neighborhood. The challenge wasn’t solving technical issues—it was getting customers. That experience still shapes his approach: focus on the real barriers to impact, and solve those. Skates believes Amplitude has only scratched the surface of what digital analytics can do. With a long-term vision and the support of his wife Anne, he remains committed to leading the company through its next era of innovation, knowing that sustained focus—not speed—is what unlocks exceptional outcomes.