We are talking to Nikolay Kussovski - Business Line Manager of OfficeSuite in MobiSystems
Nikolay Kussovski graduated in Computer Science at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski". He joined MobiSystems in 2003 and until 2021 was the CTO (Chief Technical Officer) of the company, leading a team of over 100 people. Since 2021, Kussovski has focused on OfficeSuite as Business Line Manager.
OfficeSuite includes applications for editing documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more. The app is available for iOS, Android and Windows and is used by millions of users worldwide.
Mr. Kussovski, MobiSystems has been developing mobile products and business applications for more than 20 years. With a cursory glance at the corporate website, we see that you have 100,000 new users per day in 195+ countries using the products you develop. How do you gain so many customers?
We have achieved this with hard work and consistency. Also with some luck. Since 2003 we have been developing an office application for mobile devices. We started with Palm OS, then Symbian. A few years later Android came along and that's when our efforts made sense. In 2009, we made a deal with Sony Ericsson to pre-load OfficeSuite on their Android phones. Two years later, OfficeSuite was already re-installed on all Sony phones and tablets, on Amazon's Kindle devices with Fire OS. OfficeSuite was also re-installed on Kyocera, Toshiba, TCL, CAT and many more devices.
Tell us a bit more about the portfolio of products that MobiSystems offers.
We have been working with Oxford University Press since 2003 and offer their dictionaries as apps. So you can carry the Oxford Dictionary of English along with 20+ other dictionaries in your pocket (on your phone) and access them anytime.
As OfficeSuite grew, we started to separate some features into separate products. This was the start of File Commander - a file and directory management app, MobiDrive - our cloud solution, and PDF Extra - an app for scanning, viewing and editing PDF files.
What team is behind these products?
MobiSystems employs some of the best specialists in Bulgaria. Apart from working well together, we also know how to have fun. Tomorrow we go to Razlog for team building. Besides, you can see us together on kayaks, on skis, catching the wind on yachts in the Ionian Sea or in the evening having a drink on the terrace of MobiSystems.
OfficeSuite is a product that is the best alternative to Microsoft Office. And on top of that, it's free. How did you come up with the idea and what is it like to be a competitor to Microsoft Office?
The idea is by Stanislav Minchev, who is the CEO of MobiSystems. When we talked 20 years ago, it seemed too ambitious. Looking back, I can see that at the time we were not at all aware of what we were getting into. And thank goodness! Otherwise we would hardly have tried :)
We succeeded as a competitor to Microsoft because we had the ambition to offer a mobile office solution at a time when this was not a priority for Microsoft. When they came on board, we had already gained momentum.
There are very few interviews with you in the public space (your participation in BIA’s magazine is a privilege for us). Are you deliberately hiding from the public interest or is this a serious omission by the media, since companies like MobiSystems can and should be the pride of Bulgaria?
There is no reason to hide, on the contrary. We also look forward to more media appearances and thank you for this interview. We have shown that from Bulgaria things can be done on a global level. It is energizing to see the company grow, employees raise their standards, start families and stay here. That's why we would like to share our experience with colleagues in the industry. We will be hosting and speaking at ProductTank Sofia soon. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in building digital products and based in Sofia to exchange ideas and experiences about product design, development and management, business modelling, metrics, user experience and all the other things that interest them.
Artificial intelligence and IT industry - what are your predictions?
Artificial intelligence will make software production much easier. Engineers will be able to focus on what is essential, while routine tasks will be done by machines.This will encourage people to think first and foremost, and this will be most valued in the job market.
BLITZ QUESTIONS:
What is your favourite mobile app?
How do you restart the system?
In nature - at sea or in the mountains.
Who is the most valuable employee?
The motivated one.
Is the customer always right?
No, but he should always be heard.
Did the mouse eat the book?
It depends. We really see a lot less people with a book on the beach now, for example. On the other hand, though, we have access to petabytes of information just a click away.
