Early Life
Hasso Plattner was born in Berlin, Germany, on January 21, 1944. He studied communications engineering at the University of Karlsruhe (now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). After graduating, he began his career at IBM in 1968.
Rise to Success
In 1972, Plattner and four colleagues left IBM to found SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) in Weinheim, Germany. The company aimed to create standardized software for real-time data processing. SAP's first product was a real-time payroll and accounting system, which gained traction among German companies. Plattner served as co-CEO of SAP until 2003 and then as Chairman of the Supervisory Board until May 2024. Under his leadership, SAP introduced innovative enterprise solutions that revolutionized business operations globally.
Key Business Strategies
Plattner's key business strategies included focusing on enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and real-time data processing, which set SAP apart. His commitment to innovation and developing the R/2 and later R/3 software solutions revolutionized enterprise resource planning and business processes.
Philanthropy
Hasso Plattner is a dedicated philanthropist. In 1998, he founded the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering in Potsdam, Germany, focused on IT systems engineering education and research. He also founded the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Plattner signed The Giving Pledge in 2013 and established the Hasso Plattner Foundation in 2015.