Cribl’s story is built on more than products, milestones, and growth—it’s built on the people who believed in what we were creating and helped bring that vision to life. In this series, we’re recognizing five employees who have been part of Cribl’s journey since our early days. They’ve each contributed their talent, perspective, and passion to shaping the company we are today. More importantly, their stories remind us that behind every achievement is a person who showed up, took on challenges, supported their teammates, and helped make Cribl what it is.
Brandon McCombs
Department: Engineering, on the Customer Centric Engineering team
Start date: June 2020
What do you remember most about your first week at Cribl?
I remember the company had just recently switched from Zendesk to Salesforce by the time I joined, LogStream 2.2.0 was the next version being released, and we were receiving about 1 support case every 2 days or so. And now we get about 30 new cases a day.
Which Cribl value resonates with you most?
Transparency!
How have you grown personally or professionally since joining Cribl?
I had a lot of knowledge coming to Cribl but knew I didn't know everything. And with technologies constantly changing and others being created, it's hard to stay current. After joining Cribl I learned many more technologies that I didn't have an opportunity to learn at my previous employer and I'm still learning new things almost every day which is both fun and challenging.
Finish the sentence: “You know you’ve been at Cribl a long time when…”
there was just one product, it was called LogStream, and there was a Windows version of it.
A memory that makes me smile is...
When Support was at Nashville (as part of one of Marketing's offsites; 2022 maybe?) and Jeremy Prescott and Franky Laarits were riding scooters ahead of a group of Support team members who were walking back to the hotel one evening. I decided to run as fast as I could to try catching up with them, caught up up with them, and unintentionally scared them. We laugh about that even to this day.
Jenn Kabler
Department: Revenue Enablement (Market)
Start date: August 2021
What’s one thing you’ve accomplished here that you’re especially proud of?
Over the past year, I’ve been fully immersed in rolling out Force Management across our GTM teams—from mapping out the initial playbook to driving the actual launch. Getting to build this strategy from the ground up and seeing our sales and market teams level up their execution has been the absolute highlight of my year. It’s rare to watch a massive internal effort pay off this clearly, and I couldn't be prouder of what we’ve built.
What’s something about Cribl culture that has kept you here?
The people. Being at one of the fastest-growing tech companies takes an incredible amount of heart and soul. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. But when you’re working with teammates like ours—where you laugh together, cry together, and always have each other's backs—it makes the entire journey worth it. We truly have the absolute best people.
What’s your favorite Cribl swag item of all time?
Hands down my favorite Cribl swag is our blankets. I want them all. They are legitimately the softest, most comfortable things I own.
Consider this an official, public petition to send more to Kansas City. Please and thank you.
Joel Vincent
Department: Marketing
Start date: April 2021
What’s something that has stayed the same since you joined?
Laughing literally everyday. There's a sense of absurdity to work of any kind. At Cribl it's a combination of the impact you have on the company everyday is real balanced with a recognition that we're all living in an episode of Silicon Valley (on HBO). And that shared recognition really makes things irreverent but serious…
What’s something about Cribl culture that has kept you here?
The remote culture but not for the reason most people think. The remote culture allows people to be grounded in "real life" and not just constant work. Community and a sense of "3rd place" is more real in the remote culture than anywhere I have ever been. And that means people at Cribl relate to each other through work AND through true community ties.
That's the aspect that you don't get from other places.
What surprised you most about your journey here?
The evolution of the company. Cribl is a very different business than it was 5+ years ago but the best part was a recognition that we have to do things the Cribl way and recognize that few have experienced what we've experienced, so the adaptation to what comes next isn't cookie-cutter; almost by definition you have to start fresh and find a way.
What’s your favorite Cribl swag item of all time?
Our brown Cribl blanket. It's the source of much controversy on Movie Night at the Vincents'.
Kyle McCririe
Department: Support
Start date: January 2022
What’s something that has stayed the same since you joined Cribl?
Over the past five years, the constant for me has been the incredible talent of the people I get to work with. I’m continually inspired by how hardworking and smart they are, and being around them pushes me to keep learning and becoming better every day.
What’s something about Cribl culture that has kept you here?
“Irreverent, but Serious” is a real part of our culture. It’s easier to show up every day when you know you’ll enjoy the people around you, share some laughs, and still do meaningful work at a high level.
How have you grown personally or professionally since joining Cribl?
My time at Cribl has driven tremendous professional growth. I’ve gained experience with a wide range of technologies that were completely new to me, and because Cribl sits in the middle of so many systems, I’ve had the opportunity to work across a broad set of tools and environments. Being in support amplified that even further by giving me direct insight into the challenges customers face and the chance to help them work through those issues. As a result, I’ve grown significantly from a technical perspective and built a strong network of people I’d be excited to work with again in the future.
Danny Ansell
Department: Revenue/Sales
Start date: March 2021
What’s something that has stayed the same since you joined?
The thing that I bet on in coming to Cribl — and that has continued to stay the same — is our ability to innovate and deliver new products for our customers.
Which Cribl value resonates with you most and why?
Customers First, ALWAYS is a value that I continue to lean on in my day-to-day. Service to the customers I have the good fortune to work with is something I take very seriously, and the fact that Cribl still lives and breathes by Customers First, ALWAYS is special and unique for me.
What surprised you most about your journey here?
My journey to Cribl started because so many people I deeply respected were already here. Combine that with a personal goal of mine—to help build a legacy company—and the stage was set when I joined in March 2021.
What surprises me most looking back is just how rare Cribl’s trajectory actually is. Tech is littered with software companies that didn't make it. The fact that I joined as employee #76 and we’ve grown today to now over 1,100 employees, while continuing to innovate, is something that still blows me away.
Finish the sentence: “You know you’ve been at Cribl a long time when…”
You remember Friday Zoom Happy Hours with the whole company.
As we look ahead to what’s next, we’re taking a moment to appreciate the people who helped us get here. Stay tuned to learn more about other early Criblanians!
