Karl Pichler on metrics that matter—and the EBITDA trap
Tue Feb 03 2026
Karl Pichler, CFO of Sourceability Global Holdings and former CFO of Rackspace, shares insights from more than 25 years as a public company executive, investor, and educator. We discuss Karl’s evolution from corporate finance expert to enterprise leader, covering his role in scaling Rackspace from $80 million in revenue to over $2 billion, through an IPO and eventual sale to Apollo Global Management. This episode features a practical discussion of capital allocation and value measurement best practices—exposing the limitations of EBITDA and ROIC—and discussing how corporate leaders can truly balance growth and return on capital to optimize long-term value creation.
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Karl Pichler, CFO of Sourceability Global Holdings and former CFO of Rackspace, shares insights from more than 25 years as a public company executive, investor, and educator. We discuss Karl’s evolution from corporate finance expert to enterprise leader, covering his role in scaling Rackspace from $80 million in revenue to over $2 billion, through an IPO and eventual sale to Apollo Global Management. This episode features a practical discussion of capital allocation and value measurement best practices—exposing the limitations of EBITDA and ROIC—and discussing how corporate leaders can truly balance growth and return on capital to optimize long-term value creation.