• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii

3

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii

3

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

DocuSign’s CEO on getting in over your head (and succeeding)

By
Chanelle Bessette
Chanelle Bessette
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chanelle Bessette
Chanelle Bessette
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 26, 2013, 8:22 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

FORTUNE — As the youngest-ever vice president and general manager of GMF Robotics, the industrial robotics division of automaker General Motors, Keith Krach used his early momentum in tech business to help found Rasna (which was sold in 1995 to Parametric Technologies for $500 million) and Ariba. He continued his entrepreneurial path by joining DocuSign — an electronic signature company that facilitates legal, contractual, and tax documents online — and becoming the company’s chairman and CEO.

Krach holds a BS in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard, and he sits on several boards, including Angie’s List and Purdue University’s board of trustees. We asked him about his early days in business and what he considers to be his biggest achievements, as well as the thrill-seeking he does in his free time.

1. Which business or technology person do you admire most? Why?

Mitch Daniels, former governor of Indiana and current president of Purdue University. We grew close during my tenure as chairman of the board of trustees at Purdue, and I have always been so impressed by his courage, humility, thoughtfulness, and innovation. I believe some of the signs of a great leader are the intense desire to fully understand those around you, the ability to course-correct to act on the best ideas, and an openness to everyone and all perspectives. It’s this openness, humility, supreme confidence, and intelligence that set Mitch apart.

2. What is the best advice you ever received?

Jump in water over your head. When you see an opportunity, take the risk and jump. It’s scary, and there will be times you’ll get burned, but the overall payoff can be tremendous. I have found that living that way gets addictive. The rush of pushing yourself, betting on yourself, and learning from the good, bad, ugly, and epic cannot be matched — that, to me, is really living.

3. What is your greatest achievement?

I used to think that my greatest professional achievement would always be the honor of being a founder and the CEO of Ariba, where we achieved a market cap of $34 billion and created a great sustainable company that lasted for 17 years before being purchased by SAP (SAP). However, with my last two years as DocuSign’s CEO, I now believe that my greatest professional achievement is still ahead.

There is no doubt in my mind that by the end of the decade, every successful company will be fully digital. DocuSign is at the heart of that digital transformation, and we have the opportunity to truly impact the way business is done across organizations of every size and industry, everywhere in the world. What excites me most is that everyone — from the individual to the global enterprise — is a potential customer who we can offer real value to and make their lives easier and better. The potential is literally infinite, and we are moving full speed ahead on building a great company that will last, revolutionize, and make a real difference in the world.

4. What do you do to live a balanced life?

Achieving balance is about having a balanced life, not a balanced day or week. It’s about range — intense work time infused with intense playtime and moments of intense down time. CEOs of high tech startups have to think this way because the job is an all-out sprint without the luxury of pacing oneself. I love that about my life and work, I thrive off of it.

I’m lucky that my wife and five kids are my best buddies. They understand the intensity of my kind of balance. Making time for them gives me my ultimate happiness that makes everything else possible even on the craziest of days.

5. Describe an ideal day.

Bear hugs from my family on my way out of the house, high-fives as I walk through the door at work with brilliant people around me, big wins on the scoreboard, and happy customers who love what we’re doing. Right now I get to enjoy a lot of ideal days. It’s a great time for us, and we’ve got beautiful blue skies ahead.

6. What was the most important thing you learned at Harvard Business School?

Perhaps the biggest thing that I learned is that it’s not what you know but what you think of in the moment that matters.

7. What is one unique or quirky habit that you have?

I love to program. I’m a closet geeky coder at heart. Life is all 1 and 0s.

8. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

X-ray vision, of course.

9. What was your first job?

I worked for my dad at his steel fabrication company, Litco Industries. Maximum employment was five people, so I learned to do just about everything from intricate welding to sweeping the floors. Some of my greatest lessons about hard work, honesty, and adding value came from those years of watching my Dad.

10. What do you do for fun?

My older kids tease me that my idea of fun is any activity for which you need to DocuSign a waiver. I love the thrill of traveling to a new country and learning everything I can about the people, culture, food, and what they do for fun. That’s how our family bonds the most. If it’s taking a running jump off a cliff and gliding over Rio together, drinking fresh cobra blood in Vietnam, survival training in the Amazon, great white shark cage-diving off the coast of South Africa, doing a drift dive in Indonesia, or climbing the peaks of the world, our family is in.

More from Fortune‘s 10 Questions series:

  • Stripe’s co-founder on visionaries vs. implementers
  • DAQRI CEO Brian Mullins: ‘4D excites me more than anything’
  • Scopely CEO: To excel at business, create a narrative
  • Polyvore CEO: To succeed, write ‘good, clean code’
  • Annie Longsworth on the one trait every leader needs
About the Author
By Chanelle Bessette
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Best private student loans for medical school
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
Best private student loans for medical school
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 2, 2026
7 hours ago
Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
Investingstock prices
Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
Opti-Greens 50 Review (2026): Insights from Hands-On Testing
HealthDietary Supplements
Opti-Greens 50 Review (2026): Insights from Hands-On Testing
By Christina SnyderJuly 2, 2026
9 hours ago
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
EconomyDebt
AI’s $2.2 trillion deficit fix is already half fake, economists say
By Tristan BoveJuly 2, 2026
10 hours ago
s
Personal FinanceSports
The sports economy is unaffordable at the bar, let alone the stadium
By Catherina GioinoJuly 2, 2026
10 hours ago
m
Politicsfraud
Trump fights fraud by freezing funding for New York’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
By Ali Swenson, Geoff Mulvihill and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
Success
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
12 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
Success
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
22 hours ago
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
Success
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
By Emma BurleighJuly 2, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 2, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.