4 ms·

Interesting, what does this mean: "far too much heavy shit going down on a daily basis for any of the more weird guys (like me) to get very far"?

Jare 11y ago
Sounds like copious amounts of MBAs were involved.
- marincounty 11y ago
  I can usually spot a company that has too many MBAs. I once heard a teacher say, "There's nothing more useless to an organization than an MBA! Oops, I didn't mean that they way it came out." This was a business school teacher. I don't believe that, but today, with so many of us knowing the tricks, and what not they teach in these programs; if I owned a company, my MBA count would be low. The accounting/statistics aspect of these programs is fine, but the cheap sales/staff ploys that these programs teach are just irritating, and very noticeable.
  - protomyth 11y ago
    I have always wondered if a TV/Movie director or producer would make a better manager for a software team than an MBA.
    - TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
      People like Catmull of Pixar have tried to write books about this. Managing creative people - which may include some software people - is not the same as managing a pool of lawyers or accountants. Software has a problem because too many managers think all software people are interchangeable development units. In reality there's a universe of psychological difference between corporate biz-logic devs and the kind of creative lunatics who used to work at PARC - and all shadings between the extremes. Put good people in the wrong environment and they'll be worse than useless. Same for all the other many possible dimensions.
      - hga 11y ago
        Software has a problem because too many managers think all software people are interchangeable development units. I've observed that a lot of bad software development managers were previously failed software developers. Perhaps one reason they view us as interchangeable is because developers of that level of quality are indeed interchangeable? Related to my observation that offshoring can make sense if you note that most corporate development projects fail (not much less than half outright, more than half when you add the "declare victory" messes), and that offshoring is a cheaper way to fail.
    - api 11y ago
      Absolutely. Anyone who can ship real things would be superior. The MBA is basically capitalism's answer to the Soviet "party apparatchik."
mathgenius 11y ago
Heavy shit: serious faces, quiet but stern money making, regular momentous meetings in small rooms with closed doors. Weird guys: hairy, randomly communicative, oddly passionate.

Jare 11y ago

Sounds like copious amounts of MBAs were involved.

marincounty 11y ago
I can usually spot a company that has too many MBAs. I once heard a teacher say, "There's nothing more useless to an organization than an MBA! Oops, I didn't mean that they way it came out." This was a business school teacher. I don't believe that, but today, with so many of us knowing the tricks, and what not they teach in these programs; if I owned a company, my MBA count would be low. The accounting/statistics aspect of these programs is fine, but the cheap sales/staff ploys that these programs teach are just irritating, and very noticeable.
- protomyth 11y ago
  I have always wondered if a TV/Movie director or producer would make a better manager for a software team than an MBA.
  - TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
    People like Catmull of Pixar have tried to write books about this. Managing creative people - which may include some software people - is not the same as managing a pool of lawyers or accountants. Software has a problem because too many managers think all software people are interchangeable development units. In reality there's a universe of psychological difference between corporate biz-logic devs and the kind of creative lunatics who used to work at PARC - and all shadings between the extremes. Put good people in the wrong environment and they'll be worse than useless. Same for all the other many possible dimensions.
    - hga 11y ago
      Software has a problem because too many managers think all software people are interchangeable development units. I've observed that a lot of bad software development managers were previously failed software developers. Perhaps one reason they view us as interchangeable is because developers of that level of quality are indeed interchangeable? Related to my observation that offshoring can make sense if you note that most corporate development projects fail (not much less than half outright, more than half when you add the "declare victory" messes), and that offshoring is a cheaper way to fail.
  - api 11y ago
    Absolutely. Anyone who can ship real things would be superior. The MBA is basically capitalism's answer to the Soviet "party apparatchik."

mathgenius 11y ago

Heavy shit: serious faces, quiet but stern money making, regular momentous meetings in small rooms with closed doors. Weird guys: hairy, randomly communicative, oddly passionate.