Customer-Obsession, Curiosity, Moonshots: Sumit Singh

By Jeff Simmons, President & CEO at Elanco

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / March 5, 2026 / From the McDonald's Golden Arches to the Nike Swoosh, these brands have loyal customer bases that often form emotional attachments to the brand. The same holds true for Chewy. That all-familiar blue Chewy box on your front porch is a symbol of convenience, care, and a deep connection to your pets. With more than 20 million active customers, Chewy is one of the most recognized brands for our pets.

Behind the blue box is an organization that remains curious and committed to understanding its customers at a deeply human level, supporting them through all stages of their pet's life, and sometimes even beyond.

In this episode of Shared Table, I sat down with Sumit Singh, CEO of Chewy, who led the company from $2B in revenue in 2018 to a remarkable $12B today. Like the company's relentless curiosity, Sumit is no different - his journey is a series of bold, pivotal decisions that kept him curious and led him to Chewy. Surrounded by customer letters and portraits of customers' pets, Sumit and I discussed the company's customer-obsessed mindset, the importance of curiosity, and Chewy's latest venture in veterinarian care.

The Intersection of Opportunity, Self-Confidence and Naivete

Sumit's career has been defined by a series of "moonshots" - three pivotal decisions made at the intersection of opportunity, self-confidence, and a touch of naivete. Moving from India to the U.S. to attend university, making the jump from Dell to Amazon - two companies significantly different in terms of company culture, and then his move from Amazon to Chewy.

Best Quote: "I'm a restless individual. Stasis really scares me. I'm claustrophobic in a static world."

Sumit's drive to continually evolve stems largely from his fear of stasis, noting that he's claustrophobic in a static world. It's why he's still "dancing into work" at Chewy, with the opportunity to continue learning and growing, and to keep reinventing what's next.

The Moat of Differentiation

Curiosity isn't just a word tossed around at Chewy - it's part of their strategy. Step into Chewy's HQ and you're surrounded by tangible expressions of the company's philosophy around surprise and delight. Hand-drawn pet portraits from local artists adorn the walls and custom pet bags feature customers' beloved cats. These aren't for sale; they're gifts, pulled out by care agents during meaningful moments in a customer's life.