Dexcom CEO Jake Leach began his career washing laboratory equipment for $10 an hour before rising to lead the roughly $30 billion diabetes technology company.
Leach took the job as a teenager in California during the 1990s, hoping to save enough money to fund his studies at community college. His high-school sweetheart had completed a summer placement at insulin pump manufacturer MiniMed and offered him the role when she returned to school.
The work involved cleaning beakers and flasks, but it introduced Leach to an industry that would shape his professional life. Nearly three decades later, he is president and chief executive of Dexcom, which develops non-invasive glucose-monitoring systems.
“It’s all about hard work,” Leach said. “There’s no shortcut.”
From laboratory work to Dexcom CEO
Leach grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley in a family where money was tight. His father worked in groundskeeping at a Catholic school, while his mother later became a teacher’s aide.
As a child, he saved for a $350 bicycle by washing cars for $2 each. He said the experience taught him that effort could help him achieve what he wanted, even if success was not guaranteed.
“Hard work gets you what you want, and you know you may not always succeed, but you can control it—you can control that outcome,” he said.
His interest in engineering was encouraged by his maternal grandfather, a handyman who involved him in household plumbing and electrical work. By the age of 10, Leach was learning how light switches and electrical panels worked, later experimenting with old video recorders and building homemade rockets.
His grandfather’s diabetes also gave the subject a personal connection. After his gallbladder ruptured, the family learned that the medical emergency was linked to diabetes, and he subsequently needed insulin for the rest of his life.
Leach studied at Glendale Community College before transferring to UCLA, where he completed degrees in electrical and biomedical engineering. He became the first member of his family to earn a four-year university degree.
The job at MiniMed eventually became a full-time position, and Leach spent seven years there. The company was acquired by Medtronic in 2001.
In 2004, he moved to Dexcom, then a 30-person start-up seeking to challenge established businesses in diabetes technology. The move doubled his salary from $45,000 to $95,000 and gave him the chance to help build the company.
Jake Leach’s advice to young workers
Dexcom went public in 2005 and reported annual revenue of $4.6 billion in 2025. It had about 3.5 million users worldwide and approximately 11,000 full-time employees.
Leach became the company’s chief technology officer in 2018 and chief operating officer in 2022, before reaching the top job as president and CEO in January. His annual base salary is now $1.15 million.
He said he did not follow a detailed plan for reaching the executive ranks and had never asked for a promotion during his 22 years at Dexcom. Instead, he concentrated on performing well, tackling difficult problems, developing other leaders and learning from colleagues.
Leach also made a point of volunteering for less attractive assignments and considering what was best for the wider company rather than only for himself or the division he led.
“It’s like getting outside your swim lane,” he said. “Everyone kind of has their functional swim lane. You got to get out of that, and I think that’s when you become a more valuable leader for an organization.”
