Eugenio Pace
Eugenio Pace is an Argentine engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Auth0, the digital identity management platform acquired by Okta in 2021. With more than a decade of experience at Microsoft and a solid technical background, he drove the development of a scalable and easy-to-integrate security model for companies worldwide. His leadership style, centered on developer experience and building a strong organizational culture, has positioned him as a global reference in the tech sector.
Origins and education
Pace studied Electronic Engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires and completed a Master’s in Computer Science. This combination provided him with both technical rigor and the ability to conceptualize scalable solutions. From early on, he was interested in complex systems and in security as a central component of reliable software.
Career at Microsoft
His international career began with over a decade at Microsoft, where he led engineering projects and developer services. This experience taught him how a large corporation manages innovation and global adoption of new technologies. Working in a multinational environment allowed him to coordinate distributed teams and prioritize the design of tools accessible to developers of varying expertise.
Founding Auth0
In 2013, together with Matías Woloski, he co-founded Auth0, a platform that transformed digital identity management. Their goal was to simplify authentication and authorization for applications, turning complex processes into services easy to integrate. Pace envisioned security as invisible yet trustworthy, adaptable to businesses of any size. This philosophy quickly attracted international clients and fueled the company’s expansion.
Growth and acquisition
Under his leadership, Auth0 evolved from an emerging startup into a tech unicorn with a global footprint. His ability to attract talent and build a competitive product positioned him as an industry leader. In 2021, Okta acquired Auth0 in one of the most significant deals in the digital security sector. Following the acquisition, Pace became Head of Business Operations at Okta, responsible for scaling business processes.
Leadership style
Pace stands out for his developer-first leadership. He believes that effective security should minimize friction, offering simplicity and technical clarity. He also promotes a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous innovation. For him, company growth must be supported by strong values and ongoing team development.
Culture and vision
His approach goes beyond operations, emphasizing the importance of building resilient organizational cultures. Pace has fostered a model that balances innovation speed with technical responsibility. Ethical standards, lifelong learning, and cultural diversity are central to his management philosophy. His vision has been to create adaptable organizations where every member understands the product’s purpose and global relevance.
Industry impact
Auth0’s story became a benchmark for Latin American entrepreneurship, proving that a project rooted in Argentina could scale worldwide. Technically, the platform reshaped how companies implement identity solutions, offering a flexible standard that strengthened digital security. His trajectory illustrates how a CEO with deep technical expertise can bridge business strategy with product knowledge.
Challenges and future
Today, his challenge at Okta is to integrate Auth0’s capabilities within a larger structure while preserving the agility that defined the startup. He faces a competitive market with rising demands in privacy, international regulations, and emerging threats. Combining technical vision, multinational experience, and cultural leadership, Pace is positioned to remain influential in digital security. His role highlights the growing importance of identity as a strategic asset in the global economy.
