30 years of belief: Thank you, Al Higginson

François Locoh-Donou

Al Higginson has a really simple saying: “It's all about the people.” Those five words are the heart of who we are as a company. As simple as they may be, they’re also a powerful lesson in leadership that Al has been giving F5ers for three decades.

Al officially retired earlier this month after 30 years as a Board member, 20 of those serving as our Chairman. He has literally been with us since the beginning, and he leaves big shoes to fill. As I step into the dual role of Chairman and CEO, I am committed to preserving the human-first culture Al has helped build here at F5.

Believing when others couldn't see

Al is a humble guy, which is why as we celebrate F5's 30th anniversary this year, I’m reminding F5ers that Al's journey isn't just parallel to our company's history; it is our history.

Back in 1996, Al met a small team working on 3D virtual reality gaming technology. The idea was ambitious. The team was unproven. But Al saw something others couldn't: the people behind the idea had something special.

So, he took a chance—investing his heart and his dollars in those young dreamers.

Al Higginson (left) and François Locoh-Donou (right) on stage spending time with F5’s sales teams.

About a year in, the gaming venture wasn't working. The team realized their idea was ahead of its time, and the real problem they needed to solve was load balancing—managing traffic on the Internet, which had only gone mainstream a few years earlier. Most investors would have walked away at this point, but not Al.

Instead, he doubled down. He believed in the people, and he helped them raise investment dollars to execute a complete pivot into the load balancing business.

Here's the remarkable part: Al wasn't betting on a proven track record or a polished business plan. He was betting on people—their character, their hunger, their ability to learn and adapt. That foresight changed everything, and F5 was born.

Against all odds

This small team in Seattle wasn't alone in recognizing the load balancing challenge. Giant corporations with more funding, vast resources, and deep expertise were working on the same problem. Against all odds, F5 didn't just survive; we thrived. We became known as the load balancing company, with our glowing F5 red ball in data centers around the world.

Much of that success can be traced back to Al's steady hand and long-term thinking. His entrepreneurial spirit never wavered.

From a small startup with a dream into a global company

Success is rarely linear, and F5's journey has been no exception. From the dot-com bust—when the tech world was crumbling around us—to multiple acquisition attempts from much larger companies, we've faced enormous pressure to sell, to compromise, or to take the easier path.

Al's steadfast belief in the people behind the technology, and his commitment to building something enduring, kept us focused and growing. Over the past three decades, Al helped guide F5 from a startup with a dream to a company generating over $3 billion in revenue and more than $1 billion in profit annually.

Without his belief from the very beginning, the F5 we know today would not exist. Without his leadership through the ups and downs, we would not have endured. His impact isn't just measured in revenue or profit, it's felt by 6,500 F5ers, more than 2,000 channel partners, and the more than 23,000 customers around the world we serve every day.

A culture built on people

When I was considering joining F5 nearly nine years ago, what convinced me wasn't just the technology or the market opportunity. It was meeting Al and John McAdam, F5’s CEO at the time, and experiencing the values and culture they upheld. I knew F5 was unique in the tech industry and was a place where I could help build a business in a way that was true to who I am and the values I hold. I still feel this way today, and know many F5ers would say the same.

F5 will continue to build on Al’s legacy, putting our human-first, high-performing culture at the forefront of how we grow our business and serve our customers.

Thank you and farewell

Al, if you see this between your volunteer commitments and ski runs, on behalf of every F5er—past, present, and future—thank you.

Thank you for believing in an idea and the small group of innovators who started it all. Thank you for 30 years of unwavering partnership, wisdom, and leadership. Thank you for showing us that people matter most, and that betting on character is always a winning proposition.

From me to you: thank you for being an elder brother to me. Where I come from, an elder is a confidante, advisor, mentor, and champion. You are one of the few who understand the feeling of walking alone that can sometimes come with serving as CEO. Your support these past nine years—personally and professionally—means more than you’ll ever know.

Enjoy your well-deserved retirement, my friend.

About the Author

François Locoh-Donou

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