New Relic Founder Lew Cirne: A Leader in Tech

Lew Cirne, the founder of New Relic, has been a driving force in the tech industry for over two decades. Cirne's vision for New Relic was to provide a platform that would help companies understand and improve their software performance.

Born in 1969, Cirne grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and was exposed to the world of business from a young age. He developed a strong interest in technology and programming, which eventually led him to pursue a career in the field.

Cirne's experience in the tech industry has been marked by a series of innovative achievements, including the development of the first web-based application performance monitoring tool. This tool, which was launched in 2008, quickly gained popularity among software developers and companies looking to improve their application performance.

New Relic's founder, Lew Cirne, grew up in a family that valued education and encouraged him to pursue his interests in technology.

He developed a passion for computing at a young age, and by the time he was 14, he had already started building his own computers from scratch.

Cirne attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he earned a degree in computer science and began to explore the potential of the internet.

He worked as a researcher at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, where he gained valuable experience in distributed systems and scalability.

Cirne's early experiences laid the foundation for his future success as a entrepreneur and innovator in the software industry.

The New Relic Era was a pivotal time for the company, marked by a significant shift in focus. In 2011, Lew Cirne, the founder, made the decision to pivot from a pure SaaS model to a more hybrid approach, which included both SaaS and on-premise offerings.

This move allowed New Relic to expand its reach and cater to a broader range of customers. As a result, the company's revenue grew rapidly, increasing by 50% year-over-year.

New Relic's innovative approach to application performance monitoring was a key driver of its success during this period. By providing real-time visibility into application performance, New Relic helped businesses identify and resolve issues more efficiently.

The company's product offerings continued to evolve, with the introduction of new features and tools that further enhanced its capabilities. This included the development of New Relic Insights, a powerful analytics platform that enabled users to gain deeper insights into their application performance.

Lew Cirne was raised in Port Hope, Ontario, by his parents, Geoff and Jean Cirne, who were immigrants to Canada from Manchester, England.

He attended Trinity College School and graduated from Dartmouth College with a computer science major in 1993. Cirne's academic background laid the foundation for his future career.

In 1993, Lew Cirne received an A.B. from Dartmouth College, a significant milestone in his educational journey. Cirne's undergraduate degree in computer science likely influenced his career choices.

Cirne held senior technical positions at Apple and Hummingbird Communications after college. These roles likely provided valuable experience and skills that he would later apply to his own ventures.

In 1998, Lew Cirne founded Wily Technology, a company that focused on enterprise class application performance management. Cirne's vision for Wily Technology was instrumental in bringing this concept to the Java platform.

Cirne served as Wily Technology's president and chief executive officer until October 2001. His leadership played a crucial role in shaping the company's direction.

In 2008, Cirne began focusing on software as a service (SaaS) while an entrepreneur in residence for Benchmark Capital. This marked a significant shift in his career, as he explored new opportunities in the tech industry.

New Relic, a provider of Web application performance management, was founded by Lew Cirne in 2008. Cirne's experience in application performance management made him well-suited to lead this venture.

Lew Cirne stepped down as CEO of New Relic on July 1, 2021, becoming executive chairman of the company's board of directors. This transition marked a new chapter in his career.