The Business The ‘secret sauce’ of success - With Octopus Energy CEO, Greg Jackson
Feb 5, 2026
Greg Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Octopus Energy and builder of Kraken enterprise software. He recalls early coding, the pivot from games to software-led energy, and why Kraken untangles legacy ‘spaghetti stacks’. He discusses using software to scale a retailer, crisis-driven acquisitions, and plans to spin out and possibly list Kraken.
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Early Computing And The Game That Failed
- Greg Jackson saved pocket money to buy a secondhand ZX Spectrum and taught himself to tinker with it.
- His first freelance game had elegant code but wasn't fun, which taught him to focus on user experience.
Spaghetti Stacks Create Hidden Friction
- Companies accumulate 'sedimentary' layers of legacy software that make change harder.
- Adding point solutions often increases complexity rather than solving core problems.
Surviving The 2021 Price Shock
- During the 2021 wholesale price spike Octopus used hedging and sought government support for customers.
- They acquired failed rivals like Avro and Bulb, and the government deal ultimately made taxpayers money.