Power Up

Power Up Plot Summary

Introduction

In the bustling tech world of Silicon Valley, where male-dominated boardrooms and engineering teams were the norm, Magdalena Yeşil emerged as a pioneering force who transformed challenges into stepping stones. Born in Turkey and arriving in America as a young college student, Yeşil's journey from outsider to influential tech investor and entrepreneur represents the quintessential immigrant success story with a distinctly female perspective. Her career spans multiple technology revolutions—from semiconductors to software, from early internet access to electronic payments—ultimately leading to her role as the first investor and founding board member of Salesforce, one of the most transformative enterprise software companies of our time. What makes Yeşil's story particularly compelling is her remarkable ability to navigate obstacles with unwavering confidence and what she calls her "delicious eff-you attitude." Through her experiences, readers gain insight into how to overcome gender barriers in male-dominated spaces, harness self-confidence to propel oneself forward, and find the courage to fail repeatedly on the path to success. Rather than focusing on being a woman in tech, Yeşil chose to focus on being excellent—developing a philosophy that helped her not only survive but thrive in an industry where women were often marginalized or overlooked entirely.

Chapter 1: From Turkey to America: Breaking Cultural Barriers

Magdalena Yeşil's journey began far from Silicon Valley in Turkey, where she grew up as part of the Armenian minority—a community that often faced discrimination. From a young age, she learned to navigate being an outsider, a skill that would serve her well throughout her career in the predominantly male tech industry. Her father, who believed deeply in her potential, instilled in her a powerful sense of self-confidence and ambition, despite the cultural limitations placed on women in Turkey at that time. At seventeen, Yeşil made the momentous decision to leave Turkey and pursue higher education in the United States. With nothing but a thick university catalog and her determination, she embarked on a journey that would permanently alter her life's trajectory. The process was far from simple—she had to take the SAT exam before dawn, crossing the Bosphorus by hiring a fisherman to ferry her across the water in the early morning darkness. This early demonstration of resourcefulness and determination foreshadowed the approach she would take to challenges throughout her life. Her arrival at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago marked her first experience of true culture shock. Coming from the relatively safe environment of Princes' Islands in Turkey, she found herself in Chicago's South Side, a neighborhood that presented immediate safety concerns. On her first evening, when she ventured out to find food, police officers intervened, warning her about the dangers of walking alone in the area and advising her to remove her gold bracelets to avoid being targeted. When she called her father in distress, ready to return home, he encouraged her to persevere, telling her to trust in herself and face the challenge—an early lesson in powering through difficulty rather than retreating from it. After transferring to Stanford University for better weather and educational opportunities, Yeşil found herself more at home in California's academic and innovative environment. The experience of navigating these transitions shaped her identity and approach to life—she learned to adapt quickly, read social situations accurately, and find ways to belong in environments where she might otherwise be considered an outsider. These skills would prove invaluable in Silicon Valley's competitive landscape. Yeşil's educational journey culminated in engineering studies, a field where women were distinctly in the minority. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, she approached it as an opportunity to stand out. She refused to hide her femininity or change her personality to fit in with male colleagues, instead developing what she later described as "gravitas"—a commanding presence based on competence and confidence rather than conformity. This approach allowed her to be taken seriously without losing her authentic self, a balance many women in tech still struggle to achieve today. The experience of being an immigrant and an outsider gave Yeşil a unique perspective on risk and opportunity. Having already left behind everything familiar, she developed a remarkable comfort with uncertainty that would fuel her later willingness to embrace entrepreneurial ventures and emerging technologies ahead of their time. Her cross-cultural background also gave her versatility in communication styles and business approaches that proved advantageous in building relationships across the technology ecosystem.

Chapter 2: Embracing Audacity and Self-Confidence

What set Magdalena Yeşil apart in Silicon Valley was her exceptional capacity for audacity—the ability to take bold action without being paralyzed by self-doubt. In her first engineering job at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), she quickly demonstrated this quality during a design review meeting. After presenting her work, she faced thirty minutes of harsh criticism from the review team. Rather than becoming defensive or demoralized, she simply took notes and maintained her composure. When her boss later asked how she felt about the brutal feedback, she surprised him by saying, "I think it went pretty well." Stunned, he noted her "delicious eff-you attitude"—her ability to accept criticism without letting it undermine her self-worth. This confidence wasn't rooted in arrogance but in a deep-seated belief in her own value. Yeşil recognized early that not all her ideas would be perfect, but she never allowed external feedback to shake her self-esteem. This mindset created a virtuous cycle: because she didn't become defensive when criticized, colleagues felt comfortable giving her honest feedback, which helped her improve more rapidly than those who couldn't separate critiques of their work from assessments of their worth. Yeşil's audacity also showed in her willingness to ask for opportunities that others might consider beyond their reach. At a meeting with Stewart Alsop, organizer of the exclusive AGENDA technology conference, she boldly requested a speaking slot as a "birthday present." Though presented as a lighthearted comment, this planted a seed that eventually led to her invitation to speak alongside industry leaders. This pattern repeated throughout her career—she consistently put herself forward for roles, investments, and partnerships that others might have hesitated to pursue. Yet Yeşil balanced this boldness with humility and gratitude, an approach she attributes to her immigrant experience. Having arrived in America with limited resources and no connections, she never took opportunities for granted. This "humbitious" attitude—a term coined at Bell Labs to describe the productive blend of ambition and humility—made her receptive to learning and willing to acknowledge what she didn't know. Colleagues and bosses responded positively to this combination of confidence and appreciation, often going out of their way to help her succeed. Perhaps the most powerful demonstration of Yeşil's audacity came when she identified the transformative potential of Salesforce.com. When Marc Benioff shared his vision of offering enterprise software as a subscription service accessible via the internet, Yeşil immediately recognized its revolutionary potential. While most investors dismissed the idea, believing corporations would never trust their customer data to third-party servers, she committed her own money and full support. Furthermore, she challenged Benioff to cut his ties with Oracle and commit completely to Salesforce, understanding that true leadership requires 100% dedication. Her conviction and strategic guidance helped the fledgling company secure its first significant funding and set it on a path to becoming a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. These experiences shaped Yeşil's philosophy that successful risk-taking isn't about blind leaps but about cultivating the courage to fail. Having failed numerous times herself—from initially choosing the wrong college to missing opportunities with companies like Apple—she recognized that failure is an inevitable part of any meaningful journey. The key was to learn quickly, adjust course, and maintain unwavering belief in one's ability to ultimately succeed.

Chapter 3: Navigating Male-Dominated Tech Spaces

Magdalena Yeşil's first stark encounter with Silicon Valley's male-dominated culture came during her initial job at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). At her first national sales conference, she was shocked when the event opened with a show featuring topless dancers—a clear signal of the industry's fraternity-like atmosphere. While many women might have retreated into discomfort or silent disapproval, Yeşil took a different approach. After a similar display at a subsequent dinner event, she approached CEO Jerry Sanders directly, expressing that as an engineer at his company, she found such displays made her feel disrespected as an employee. Sanders, unprepared for such directness, invited her to join his table with top distributors—a gesture that inadvertently gave her access to key business relationships. The following day, Yeşil became the talk of the conference, not for creating a scandal, but for her courage in speaking up. While the company didn't immediately end such practices (they continued for years after she left), Yeşil had established herself as someone to be respected on her own terms. This incident embodied her approach to gender issues throughout her career: rather than focusing on being a woman in a man's world, she focused on being a professional deserving of respect. Yeşil's strategy for navigating male-dominated spaces involved developing what she calls "gravitas"—a combination of dignity, professionalism, and confidence that communicated her value to colleagues and superiors. She carefully managed her appearance to reflect her authentic self while signaling seriousness of purpose. Unlike some women of her generation who felt compelled to hide their femininity completely, Yeşil made conscious choices about her professional presentation, wearing her distinctive auburn hair long and natural while often adopting the practical uniform of dark wool pants and button-down shirts common in her office. Rather than isolating herself from male colleagues, Yeşil made deliberate efforts to build alliances with them. She recognized that in environments where men held most decision-making power, creating trusted relationships with male colleagues was essential to her success. She developed what she calls "office allies"—male colleagues with whom she could speak candidly and who would advocate for her when she wasn't in the room. These relationships provided her with both emotional support and practical intelligence about conversations happening in spaces where she might not be included. When faced with sexual innuendo or inappropriate comments, Yeşil developed effective tactics for maintaining her dignity while defusing uncomfortable situations. She would respond to suggestive remarks with a blank stare or by asking the speaker to explain what they meant, techniques that quickly made such behavior unrewarding for the perpetrator. Crucially, she never allowed these incidents to make her feel victimized or to distract her from her professional goals. Yeşil recognized that some gender-coded activities, like sports discussions or after-hours drinking sessions, created informal networking opportunities from which women were often excluded. Rather than resenting these dynamics, she developed pragmatic approaches—either finding ways to participate or creating alternative social occasions that she enjoyed and could lead. She understood that becoming an "insider" didn't require pretending to be someone she wasn't, but rather finding authentic ways to build relationships across gender lines. Throughout her career, Yeşil maintained that the most important factor in her success wasn't fighting against gender bias but rather developing such strong confidence in her own value that others' biases became irrelevant. She consistently focused on being excellent at her work, creating a reputation for competence that transcended gender stereotypes. This approach allowed her to navigate male-dominated spaces without becoming consumed by the politics of gender, maintaining her energy for innovation and leadership.

Chapter 4: Building Salesforce and Strategic Leadership

Magdalena Yeşil's pivotal role in the creation and growth of Salesforce represents perhaps her most significant contribution to the technology industry. When Marc Benioff approached her with his revolutionary idea for delivering customer relationship management software as a service over the internet, Yeşil immediately recognized its transformative potential. At a time when enterprise software required massive upfront licensing fees and complex implementation, the concept of subscription-based, instantly accessible software was radical. While most investors dismissed the idea, believing corporations would never trust third-party servers with their sensitive customer data, Yeşil declared it "not just a good idea" but "a phenomenal idea" and committed her own money as Salesforce's first investor. Her contribution extended far beyond financial backing. When the fledgling company faced challenges recruiting the engineering team they needed—the highly regarded Left Coast Software group—Yeşil personally stepped in. In a crucial phone call with Parker Harris, the team's leader, she addressed his concerns about competition head-on, declaring: "Anyone can do almost anything. Competitors are inevitable. But we'll do it right, and we'll do it big. What we need is the guts to go for it in a big way." This combination of realism and ambition persuaded Harris and his team to join Salesforce, providing the technical foundation for its success. As the dot-com crash devastated the technology sector in 2001, Salesforce faced an existential crisis. Most of their customers were tech startups that were now going out of business, and the company was burning through cash with no clear path to profitability. When traditional venture capital firms, including Yeşil's own U.S. Venture Partners, declined to invest, she developed a creative solution that transformed the company's financial trajectory. She proposed shifting customers from a month-to-month payment model to annual or multi-year contracts with upfront payments—a change that would provide immediate cash flow while maintaining the core software-as-a-service vision. Benioff was initially skeptical, having championed the "no-contract, no-discount, one price for all" approach as a cornerstone of Salesforce's market disruption. Yeşil persisted, presenting detailed financial models showing how the approach could make Salesforce cash-flow positive without compromising its fundamental value proposition. Her strategic insight proved correct—within a year of implementing the new model, Salesforce achieved positive cash flow without requiring additional venture capital. This pivotal decision allowed the company to survive the dot-com crash and position itself for long-term success. As Salesforce's first board member, Yeşil played a crucial role in the company's governance and strategic direction. She chaired the compensation committee, ensuring fair pay practices across the organization. When the company faced the transition from a telesales model to an enterprise direct-sales approach—a move that prominent advisor Ray Lane of Kleiner Perkins characterized as "corporate suicide"—Yeşil supported Benioff's vision despite the risks involved. This decision ultimately enabled Salesforce to serve large corporations and achieve much higher revenue growth. Beyond specific strategic decisions, Yeşil brought a stabilizing perspective to Salesforce during turbulent times. After the company went public in 2004 amid significant stock price volatility, she addressed employees at an all-hands meeting, urging them not to focus on short-term market fluctuations but rather on their long-term vision and values. Using a sailing analogy, she advised them to keep their eyes on the horizon to avoid getting seasick in rough waters—guidance that many employees remembered years later as they navigated the company's growth challenges. Yeşil's leadership at Salesforce exemplified her broader approach to business: identifying transformative opportunities ahead of the market, making bold commitments in the face of skepticism, finding creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems, and maintaining steady focus on long-term vision even during short-term crises. These qualities established her not just as an investor but as a true strategic partner in building one of the most significant enterprise software companies of the digital age.

Chapter 5: Balancing Family Life with Entrepreneurship

The intersection of motherhood and career proved to be one of the most significant challenges of Magdalena Yeşil's professional journey, yet she approached it with the same pragmatic determination that characterized her business ventures. Unlike many women of her generation who felt compelled to choose between family and ambition, Yeşil decided early on that she would pursue both—but on her own terms, without apology or compromise. Her perspective was shaped by her own childhood experience: watching her mother's frustration and unhappiness as a stay-at-home parent convinced her that combining meaningful work with parenthood was essential to her well-being. Yeşil became a mother relatively early in her career, having her first son while many of her Stanford classmates were still focused exclusively on career-building. She credits her father's example for showing her that parenthood and professional success weren't mutually exclusive—he had remained deeply engaged in his children's lives while maintaining his career, demonstrating that it was possible to cherish one's children's dreams without sacrificing one's own. This model gave her confidence that she could create a fulfilling integration of work and family life. A crucial factor in Yeşil's ability to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship was the live-in support of her mother, who moved from Turkey to California to help raise her grandsons. This arrangement allowed Yeşil to travel for business, work long hours when necessary, and pursue entrepreneurial ventures without constant worry about childcare. Yet it wasn't without complications—her mother, who had never worked outside the home, continued to experience the frustration that Yeşil had witnessed in her childhood. Interestingly, at age sixty-three, Yeşil's mother took her first job as a barista at Whole Foods, an experience that transformed her outlook and happiness, reinforcing Yeşil's belief in the importance of work outside the home. Even with strong family support, Yeşil made conscious career choices with her children in mind. When Steve Jobs offered her a position as Apple's vice president of marketing during his return to the company, she initially spent time working closely with him over a weekend to explore the opportunity. The experience was exhilarating but also revealing—the intense work schedule and all-consuming nature of the role would leave little room for family life. Despite the prestige and potential of the position, she declined, choosing a path that would allow her to maintain her commitment to being present for her children. Yeşil developed practical strategies for integrating work and family responsibilities. When she needed to work weekends, she would bring her sons to the office, creating a welcoming environment with toys and treats that made these visits feel special rather than burdensome. She turned down opportunities that would require constant travel or seven-day workweeks, not seeing these decisions as sacrifices but as choices aligned with her priorities. Throughout her career, she maintained that the most important "marriage" is the professional cohort you choose—finding environments that position you to thrive given your personal constraints rather than trying to force yourself into cultures that demand work at the expense of family. Despite her successes in balancing career and motherhood, Yeşil wasn't immune to the social pressures and judgments faced by working mothers. She recalls an incident years after her sons were grown when a young woman on a group hike asked if she was a mother. Momentarily thinking the question referred to having children still at home, Yeşil answered no, then corrected herself to explain she had grown sons. The woman's reaction—and subsequent comments from others about "the woman who forgot she was a mother"—revealed the persistent cultural expectation that motherhood should be a woman's primary identity, regardless of her professional accomplishments. Yeşil's approach to motherhood and career illustrates her broader philosophy of owning her choices without apology. She rejected both the traditional model of sacrificing career for family and the corporate expectation of sacrificing family for career, instead creating a third path that honored both aspects of her life. By refusing to be limited by societal expectations about women's roles and consciously designing a life that reflected her personal values, she demonstrated the same innovative thinking in her personal life that characterized her business ventures.

Chapter 6: Creating Opportunities for Women in Technology

Throughout her career, Magdalena Yeşil recognized that her success as a woman in technology wasn't just about her individual achievements but also about creating pathways for other women to follow. Though she initially focused more on being excellent than on being female, as she gained power and influence, she increasingly turned her attention to addressing the systemic barriers that kept women from thriving in Silicon Valley. Her approach was characterized by practical action rather than rhetoric, focusing on concrete steps that could create real opportunities. One of Yeşil's most significant contributions was cofounding Broadway Angels with Sonja Perkins and Jennifer Fonstad, bringing together female venture capitalists and angel investors to fund promising startups. This initiative served multiple purposes: it provided capital to entrepreneurs who might otherwise struggle to secure funding, particularly female founders; it created a supportive network for women in the male-dominated venture capital world; and it demonstrated the financial acumen and industry knowledge of female investors. Broadway Angels has since invested in dozens of successful companies, including several founded by women, and has become a case study taught at both Stanford and Harvard Business Schools. As chair of the compensation committee at Salesforce, Yeşil took concrete steps to ensure equal pay for equal work, a commitment that set a foundation for the company's later industry-leading initiatives in this area. Years after she left the board, Salesforce conducted comprehensive pay equity audits resulting in millions of dollars in adjustments to eliminate gender-based pay disparities. This exemplifies Yeşil's belief that addressing inequality requires not just good intentions but also rigorous analysis and willingness to make financial commitments. Yeşil rejected the common view that women should focus primarily on networking with other women, recognizing that in environments where men hold most positions of power, limiting one's network by gender creates an immediate disadvantage. Instead, she advocated for strategic network-building across gender lines, encouraging women to develop strong working relationships with influential men while also maintaining supportive connections with female colleagues. This pragmatic approach recognized the reality of power dynamics in technology while working to transform them. Unlike some successful women who hesitated to speak publicly about gender issues, fearing it would reduce their achievements to their gender, Yeşil eventually embraced the responsibility to share her experiences and strategies. She recognized that while focusing on excellence rather than gender had served her well, the next generation of women needed explicit support and guidance to navigate the still-challenging technology landscape. Her decision to speak openly about the obstacles she faced and the tactics she developed represented an evolution in her thinking about how best to create change. Yeşil championed practical approaches to reducing bias in hiring and promotion, advocating for clearly defined criteria, standardized evaluation processes, and diverse candidate pools rather than rigid quotas. She understood that ambiguity in evaluation often allows unconscious bias to creep in, disadvantaging women and minorities. By focusing on process improvements rather than attempting to change individual attitudes, she promoted sustainable changes that could improve opportunities for all underrepresented groups in technology. Throughout her career, Yeşil modeled an approach to leadership that embraced authenticity rather than conformity. Unlike many women of her generation who felt compelled to adopt traditionally masculine behaviors to succeed, she maintained aspects of her femininity while establishing her professional credibility. This demonstrated to younger women that success didn't require erasing gender differences but rather developing one's unique strengths and style. By showing that women could lead as women—not as imitations of men—she expanded the vision of what leadership could look like in technology companies. Yeşil's efforts to create opportunities for women were distinguished by their focus on practical results rather than symbolic gestures. She understood that true progress required changing systems, not just raising awareness, and she leveraged her positions of influence to implement tangible changes that expanded access and opportunity. Her commitment to pulling other women up alongside her exemplifies her belief that the ultimate test of power is not what it does for you but what it enables you to do for others.

Chapter 7: Lessons on Resilience and Continuous Renewal

Magdalena Yeşil's career in Silicon Valley spanned multiple technology waves, economic cycles, and personal challenges, requiring continuous adaptation and renewal. Her resilience wasn't simply about surviving difficulties but about transforming them into opportunities for growth and reinvention. From her earliest experiences as an immigrant to her navigation of entrepreneurial failures and health challenges, Yeşil developed a philosophy and practice of resilience that offers profound lessons for anyone facing adversity. Central to Yeşil's approach was her ability to maintain forward momentum even after significant setbacks. When her consulting firm was burglarized twice, losing all their computers and client work, the business collapsed. Rather than becoming paralyzed by this disaster, she immediately began looking for opportunities to reenter the technology industry. Finding that her time away had made her less competitive for traditional employment, she invested six months in becoming an expert in the emerging commercial internet space, conducting original research that established her as a thought leader. This self-directed learning positioned her perfectly to partner with Dan Lynch in founding one of the first commercial internet service providers, turning what could have been a career-ending setback into the launch of a new entrepreneurial chapter. Yeşil's resilience was particularly tested during the dot-com crash of 2001, when Salesforce—in which she was the first investor and a board member—faced potential bankruptcy as their customer base of tech startups began to collapse. Rather than surrendering to market forces, she developed an innovative financial solution, shifting customers from monthly to annual contracts with upfront payments. This strategic pivot not only saved the company but also transformed its business model in ways that strengthened its long-term viability. Her ability to remain clear-headed and creative under extreme pressure exemplifies the mental discipline required for true resilience. A health crisis later in her career forced Yeşil to make difficult choices, including stepping down from the Salesforce board just as the company was entering a new phase of growth following its successful IPO. This experience taught her the importance of seeking counsel before making major decisions and the danger of perfectionism—she had assumed an all-or-nothing approach was necessary when a more nuanced solution might have been possible. This illustrates her capacity for learning and growth even at the height of her success, recognizing that resilience includes the ability to learn from one's own missteps. Throughout her career, Yeşil maintained what she calls "the rule of Good Enough," rejecting the perfectionism that often plagues high-achieving women. She recognized that the pursuit of flawlessness can become paralyzing, preventing progress and innovation. Instead, she focused on identifying the essential elements that would create value—as she did when developing Salesforce's product strategy, concentrating on the 20% of functionality that mattered most to users. This pragmatic approach allowed her to move forward in the face of uncertainty and complexity, a key component of her resilience. Yeşil's experience as an immigrant and outsider contributed significantly to her resilience, giving her what she calls a "wider capacity in her heart for adventure and learning—but none at all for regret." Having already taken the monumental risk of leaving her homeland as a teenager, she developed a remarkable comfort with uncertainty and change. This background also gave her perspective on the relative importance of professional setbacks—compared to the challenges of creating an entirely new life in a foreign country, business failures seemed manageable and temporary. Perhaps most importantly, Yeşil maintained a core of self-belief that remained unshaken by external circumstances. When faced with rejection, criticism, or failure, she never doubted her fundamental value and capability. This internal confidence allowed her to view setbacks as temporary obstacles rather than defining judgments. She often described herself as having "no regrets," not because she never made mistakes but because she understood that forward movement was more productive than retrospective second-guessing. In her later career, Yeşil demonstrated the ultimate form of resilience: the ability to continuously reinvent herself as technology and markets evolved. From semiconductors to software, from internet infrastructure to electronic payments, from operational roles to investing, she repeatedly mastered new domains and built new expertise. This capacity for renewal wasn't just about adapting to changing circumstances but about actively seeking new challenges and opportunities for growth, maintaining the same curiosity and learning orientation that characterized her earliest days in Silicon Valley.

Summary

Magdalena Yeşil's journey from Turkish immigrant to Silicon Valley power player illuminates a fundamental truth: true power comes not from external validation or conformity to others' expectations, but from an unshakable internal confidence that allows one to face any challenge with courage and clarity. Throughout her career, Yeşil consistently chose to focus on possibilities rather than limitations, refusing to let gender bias, cultural differences, or even significant setbacks define her path or diminish her ambitions. Her story offers a masterclass in what she calls "powering UP"—developing the internal resources to overcome obstacles, create opportunities, and maintain forward momentum regardless of circumstances. The most valuable lesson from Yeşil's experience is perhaps her approach to navigating environments where the odds seemed stacked against her. Rather than focusing on being different or disadvantaged, she concentrated on being excellent, developing expertise and delivering results that spoke for themselves. At the same time, she maintained her authenticity, finding ways to belong without conforming, to succeed without compromising her values, and to lead without mimicking traditional models of leadership. This balanced approach offers a powerful template for anyone facing structural barriers or biased systems: acknowledge the reality of these challenges, but never allow them to become the organizing principle of your professional identity or the limit of your ambition. As Yeşil demonstrated throughout her remarkable career, the most profound form of disruption often comes not from fighting against existing systems but from reimagining and creating entirely new possibilities that render old barriers irrelevant.

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Magdalena Yesil

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