# Tien Tzuo

> Tien Tzuo is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Zuora, a monetization software company founded in 2007. Previously Salesforce’s eleventh employee, chief marketing officer and chief strategy officer, he helped popularize the term Subscription Economy. He wrote Subscribed with Gabe Weisert and co-authored Founders, Keepers with Richard Hagberg, drawing on his experience adapting his own leadership as Zuora grew.

- **Role:** Co-founder, Chairman and CEO at Zuora
- **Organizations:** Zuora, Amplitude, Salesforce, CrossWorlds Software, Oracle
- **Nationality:** Taiwanese-American
- **Education:** BS, Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Built Salesforce’s original billing system., Helped popularize and is credited with coining the term Subscription Economy., Led Zuora through its 2018 NYSE IPO and continued as CEO following its 2025 acquisition.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Joined Oracle after graduating from Cornell; worked there for six years.
- **1998** — Earned his Stanford MBA and worked at CrossWorlds Software before joining Salesforce.
- **1999** — Joined Salesforce as employee number 11.
- **2003-2005** — Served as Salesforce chief marketing officer.
- **2005-2008** — Served as Salesforce chief strategy officer.
- **2007** — Co-founded Zuora with K. V. Rao and Cheng Zou; began serving as CEO in November.
- **2017** — Became chairman of Zuora’s board in December.
- **2018** — Led Zuora to its April 12 NYSE listing; published Subscribed with Gabe Weisert.
- **2025** — Continued leading Zuora after the Silver Lake and GIC acquisition; joined Amplitude’s board; co-authored Founders, Keepers.

## Achievements

- Built Salesforce’s original billing system.
- Helped popularize and is credited with coining the term Subscription Economy.
- Led Zuora through its 2018 NYSE IPO and continued as CEO following its 2025 acquisition.
- Author of Subscribed, which BenBella reports has sold over 100,000 copies in 14 languages.
- Co-author of Founders, Keepers with Richard Hagberg, published in June 2025.
- Received the SIIA 2021 CODiE Lifetime Achievement Award in Business Technology.
- Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 and Silicon Valley Business Journal CEO of the Year in 2018.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Published AI is Turning Contracts Into Software on LinkedIn on October 2, discussing frequently changing AI pricing and agreements.
- **2026-09** — Published My HBO Moment on Zuora’s site on September 3, responding to a John Oliver subscription segment and criticizing frustrating subscription practices.
- **2026-02** — Published No One is Safe, arguing that established software companies should take AI-driven changes to delivery and pricing seriously.
- **2025-06** — Founders, Keepers was published by Matt Holt Books/BenBella.
- **2025-02** — Joined Amplitude’s board on February 25, following completion of Zuora’s acquisition on February 14.

## Links

- Website: https://www.zuora.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tientzuo/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/tientzuo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tien-tzuo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22