over time,” Lynch says. “This was software to optimize content delivery on mobile devices and smartphones before they even existed.”
Of course, it remains to be seen what the endgame will be for Azuki. You might guess that the company will be snapped up by a bigger player eager to strengthen its technology portfolio in mobile video delivery—whether it’s a telecom firm, a network operator, or a cable company competing with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. But the startup is prepared to grow on its own and survive for the long haul.
“Azuki has a play by itself, and a play with” other companies, Wu says. Meanwhile, “We need to be thoughtful about our trajectory” is all Lynch will say.
Indeed, the change in leadership and chemistry suggests that trajectory could be dramatic for the startup—one way or another.
Working together over time, Lynch says, “people learn to win. And they learn to lose, or accept losing. We’ve had such great fortune.” Just like in sports, he says, the best teams aren’t necessarily made up of the best individual athletes, but rather people who are best at working together.
To that end, it sounds like Wu is a technology specialist by training and a business generalist by experience. And Lynch has strong business instincts and the ability to pull out technical details to figure out what matters and what doesn’t. Plus, they have an unspoken bond over time. “Cheng is 63, and I was born in ’63,” Lynch quips.
Lynch seems like he’s being brought in to help maximize whatever opportunity Azuki sees before it. And it’s all being driven by the convergence of online video capabilities and the massive adoption of mobile devices.
“I had no idea this revolution was coming,” Lynch says. “But 3 billion smartphones can’t be wrong,”
