#391 – How Pete Hunt turned a tool into a tribe
From The Remarkable SaaS Podcast by Ton Dobbe
January 28, 2026 · 39 min · Season 9 · Episode 391
About this episode
Pete Hunt shares his journey of transforming Dagster Labs into a leading SaaS company by building a product with clear values that resonate with users.
A story about users competitors can't steal. This episode is for SaaS founders wondering why their users like the product but don't love it. Second movers usually copy the leader's playbook. Pete Hunt, CEO of Dagster Labs, took a different path. He joined as Head of Engineering in 2022, became CEO ten months later, and inherited a company that was #3 or #4 in a crowded category. Today they're #2 overall—and #1 for greenfield deployments. The difference? Pete built a product with values so clear that choosing it feels like choosing sides. And this inspired me to invite Pete to my podcast. We explore what happens when users choose you for reasons competitors can't copy. Pete shares why being #2 means you have to be 10x more aggressive, why relabeling a version number created an inflection point without changing code, and what broke when his sales forecasts started slipping. You'll discover why the real challenge wasn't preserving his culture—it was changing it. We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies: – Acknowledge you cannot please everyone – Master the art of curiosity Pete's journey proves that remarkable companies don't just build…
People in this episode
Host: Ton Dobbe
Guest: Pete Hunt
Topics covered
- SaaS
- product development
- user engagement
- company culture
- leadership
Keywords
- SaaS founders
- product values
- user loyalty
- company culture
- technical buyers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Dagster Labs
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