The Inspiring Success Story of SAS Co-Founder James Goodnight

The story of James Goodnight, co-founder of the SAS Institute, is one of remarkable success. Goodnight, a software engineer and businessman was born on January 6, 1943, in the United States.

James Goodnight co-founded SAS in 1976, which is now a leader in statistical data analysis software. His net worth as of April 2023 is anticipated to be 7.4 billion USD, making him the wealthiest citizen in North Carolina.

Goodnight’s interest in computers began when he took a computing course at the University of North Carolina, where he was hired to write software for the agricultural economics division. After completing his master’s in statistics in 1968, he worked for a business that produced electronic tools for the ground stations that interfaced with the Apollo spacecraft.

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James Goodnight and fellow researcher Anthony James Barr were appointed project managers for the creation of the first SAS version, developed through a collaboration of eight land-grant institutions and supported by the USDA.

In 1976, Goodnight, along with three University students, left the institution when the program had 100 users and opened the SAS Institute within a building across the street.

Under Goodnight’s leadership, SAS saw its revenue increase from 138,000 USD in its first year of operation to 420 million USD in 1993 to 2.43 billion USD by 2010. The company expanded every year while he was in charge. Goodnight became known for developing and maintaining SAS’ corporate culture, which was often referred to as ‘utopian’ by the media.

To maintain the working environment at the firm, he turned down purchase inquiries and decided against going public. He implemented a flat organizational structure with only three layers and around 27 individuals who serve directly to him.

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Goodnight has been recognized for his achievements with numerous awards and honors. He was chosen as an American Statistical Association Fellow in 1981 and received the “Golden Plate” Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

He was also recognized by Harvard in 2004 as an Outstanding American Business Pioneer and has frequently participated at the World Economic Forum. In March 2020, he received the ‘CEO Great Place to Work For All Leadership’ Award from Great Place to Work.