Zillow Speaker Series: Christian Chabot, Tableau Software CEO & Co-Founder

Chabot explained how Tableau is transforming the way companies interact with, dissect and use data.

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Christian Chabot loves data, which is fitting considering he’s the chief executive of a company with DATA as its stock symbol. Tableau Software, which went public a little over a year ago, is transforming how companies interact with, dissect and use data.

“It’s not the 20th century anymore — there is a new way,” Chabot said during a recent visit to Zillow’s Seattle headquarters.

Recalling the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he explained how in crisis situations, good information is normally in short supply.

“Then you add the outbreak of cholera. If you are there in the field, you need answers like: Where are the outbreaks the worst? Do we have enough clinics? Where do we send supplies?” he said. “What you need to make all these decisions is data.”

But data isn’t enough, according to Chabot. What you need is a solution as “fluid” as your situation, whether it’s an unexpected disease after an unexpected earthquake, or a complicated web of housing data.

Tableau offers breakthrough products that allow people to explore and visualize any data set — no matter how big or how small — in minutes. As a result, Chabot said the company is not just driving clients’ analytics goals; it’s improving the workplace by giving people a feeling of flexibility and endless possibilities.

“You’ll find data can have an incredible impact on the world around us if it’s harnessed correctly,” he said. “Right now, it seems we’re in this renaissance for data. It’s so fun.”

To learn more about Tableau and its products, visit its website. And, to hear more great speakers like Chabot in person, check out Zillow’s job pagewe’re hiring!

Previous Zillow Speaker Series guests include: