How one tiny country is building an API to help the entire planet
Q&A with Rainer Sternfeld, founder of Planet OS
As CEO of Planet OS, Rainer has worked with international organizations like the European Commission and NASA to make data readily available to those who need them most. But how do you go from a tiny European country like Estonia, to building an API containing data from the whole world?
We talked to him to find out more — and if you’re interested in their mission, they’re hiring!
What is the mission of Planet OS?
Our mission is to connect all environmental and earth observation data in the world over an API. So it’s accessible. And our vision for the world is that we would be ready for whatever may hit us operationally and the world as we know it, we would know exactly what’s happening with the climate, and we would use this empirically gathered data to make rational decisions about what we need to do about our future and to sustain the planet for future generations.
So what we really are doing is creating data infrastructure. It’s kind of like when you flip a switch, and expect the light to go on — that’s what I want to do with data. That’s not the case today. It’s super hard, like bringing electricity with a bucket.
We want to change that — that’s why we called it Planet OS. It’s really like an operating system that brings you data but also gives you tools to work with the data.
What made you decide to recruit talent through Jobbatical?
What I love about Jobbatical is that we’re able to reach out to some very special talent and this is not just technical skill we’re talking about here. It’s being empathetic about the cause and at the same time, how you translate data. We have some of the best talent in the world for data visualization for example, in our company.
How did your upbringing in Estonia influence you into becoming a CEO of a global company?
Well, after 50 years of occupation — and I am coming from a generation that had a glimpse of the Soviet Union — and then when Estonia became free, the younger generation was so hungry for being able to choose whatever they want because now all of a sudden the world was free. Then this hunger translated into a lot of initiative that you have seen and heard of today.
In 1989 my dad set up a satellite dish and I was able to see — 2 years before the Soviet Union collapsed — Western television. I was able to see MTV, NBC and all these different things, and I think that influenced me a lot.
If I recall a conversation I had with a friend of mine when I was still a student, I said, “Look, I really don’t want to deal with anything that’s not useful for humanity.” I was a good student, I had straight A’s, I could have become a lawyer, or whatever. But I didn’t, because I thought this doesn’t make any sense. The planet is so much more than that, so I decided to do all these different projects and when I thought about Marinexplore, I never once thought I would only do it in Estonia. It’s always been global and I’ve been involved with an international business community for over 10 years. This is just a natural state for me. The world is open for me, the world is completely boundless for me.
Why should top talent around the world move to Estonia for work?
Estonia is an absolutely phenomenal place. It’s super fast to do all kinds of daily activities. You couldn’t believe how many meetings [you can have] and how efficient you can be during the day. You can move at lightning speed, which is awesome. What I like about it, and what I think people take for granted in Estonia to be honest is fresh air, fresh water, no earthquakes. I mean, we’re in a bubble.
I once worked with a German designer that came to Estonia because he didn’t find enough opportunity in Germany, because everything is kind of ready, and set. There are certain unwritten rules that you have, like by age 25, you’re an intern, by age 30, you’re this, and by 40, you can become a manager. In Estonia none of this makes sense. It’s like Silicon Valley in a way. It’s based on talent, it’s based on your drive, your reputation, your trustworthiness. If you can do stuff, then you can do it. When I first joined ABB 10 years ago, then they told me the more you’re going to be doing, the more responsibility you’re going to get.
What should people know about Estonia before they come?
Well, the nature part is great. Some people don’t like the weather. The Nordic reality of having a prolonged dark period is probably the only kind of downside. But I don’t see a lot of downsides. I think there’s just so much opportunity in Estonia.
The people are actually very open and very warmhearted contrary to what people may think. Estonians are very honest. You can have very deep friendships with a lot of people.
But in general what attracts people is there’s available investment, there’s available talent, the startup community is thriving. You have all these different companies. What’s awesome about Estonia, because it doesn’t have a lot of people, and the market is small, [is that] people don’t generally go for the first available idea. Yes, there are a lot of startups, but if you look at successful startups, they are all doing some substantial work for the world.
Do you have a lot of international people on your team?
Yes, we have people on three continents. We have people from Estonia, from Ukraine, from Canada, or Quebec, should I say. And we have Americans, we have a Brazilian, we have a Hawaiian. And then if you talk about ethnicities between those people it gets even more mercurial. The Hawaiian is half-Irish and there are a couple of Estonians where one parent is Russian-speaking or Ukrainian, or this Brazilian guy has a German name. Our evening events are pretty international.
What are the benefits of having a team like that?
When you have so many different cultures in the company, the culture checks out. So that’s the best part. If you have some sort of specific patterns that we’re used to in Estonia, then you can’t go with your old track. Truth prevails. Truth becomes the primary thing. So in the sense of culture, I think that’s the number one thing that contributes to a very healthy company culture.
But also, humor becomes very awesome. Because you can actually joke about each other and be happy about it because everyone has their own kind of quirks and funny things that only other people might notice. So if you had only one type of people, they might get offended but in our company humor and good laughs are very much appreciated.
And finally, the biggest question for last. Where do you see the future going?
We are really seeing this kind of sustainability revolution — we need to figure out how to not mess up this planet. And I think data and empirical information is vital, critical for this. You can’t know if you have a fever if you don’t have a thermometer. So I think the future is increasingly going to be focused on sustainability. I’m going to represent the optimists here. I think the internet is more open and people have seen what truth can be, and it’s open enough so that even if it closes down, people will start moving.
My worries are just that there are going to be so many severe climate-related events that are going to be driving a lot of people — the refugee crisis in Europe is actually driven by the climate. 60% of Syria’s land has become desert in the last 5 years. So people don’t talk about that. It’s like going to the doctor’s. “Doctor, my head hurts.” “OK, here are some pills, go home.” We don’t talk about the real causes, but we always talk about the consequences.
We need to start learning, and the world is learning how to ask the right questions to get to the root cause, and that’s when we can start changing things from climate change to healthcare to all these different things. So I really think we are seeing the elimination of guesswork within our society, in our lifetime. When we were born we were still doing guesswork; when we die it’s going to be — not all, but most of it’s going to be known. And that’s again coming back to the truth, really. That’s not always easy or comfortable, but that’s what we need.
Want to be a part of that future? Join Planet OS!
