8 ms·

The outcome of this story was favorable (which is why we're reading it). I wonder, however, if there are far more stories that begin the same way but end with "

by jknupp 16y ago

The outcome of this story was favorable (which is why we're reading it). I wonder, however, if there are far more stories that begin the same way but end with "You're being fired for insubordination" or something similarly negative.

JoeAltmaier 16y ago
"You're Fired" can be the beginning of a beautiful career.
- 425 16y ago
  Exactly. Sometimes I fantasize about being laid off, so I can have excuse why I am leaving this cushy job...
  - lamby 16y ago
    For a small fee, I am happy to offer my services to get you fired.
    - deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
  - random42 16y ago
    Same here.
  - snprbob86 16y ago
    Severance would be a nice way to get started...
- napierzaza 16y ago
  Your attitude reminds me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
huherto 16y ago
I have a story that backfired. I had a team of 5 developers that were working in a product. The company had been trying to build the product for several years. When I saw the architecture they were using I tried to convince the architect to make some changes. They wouldn't do it. They wouldn't even let me touch the code. I was a manager I wasn't supposed to get involved. So I thought. "It is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission". So I started to build the product from scratch. I had plenty of time and no one cared what I did. After 5 or 6 months I already had a product that was way a head than the official product. When I tried to show it to my manager he got really mad. He literally screamed at me. That was 1.5 years ago. I went in a depression for a long time. They fired the architect. They fired my manager. The developers had to spin their wheels for a long time. Then they left. And the product is still not ready.
- jpablo 16y ago
  But you asked permission first. And you were told "no". That's the point of the article. Do not ask for permission first.
  - nandemo 16y ago
    He did work 5 months on something without asking permission.
- jfager 16y ago
  "Ask forgiveness rather than permission" is not equivalent to "forge ahead without thought for the consequences". Completely rewriting a codebase by yourself to show up a team that has been working on it for a long time might mean better code, but it's also a direct demonstration of the ineffectiveness of that team. Of course some kind of major shake-up is going to happen after something like that. Firing people might be a little extreme, but you certainly have to expect that it's a possibility. If you don't have the stomach for directly causing people to get fired, or for conflict, then don't go out of your way to demonstrate how poorly they're doing their job. Find your way out to something else, and let them do themselves in.
  - 16y ago
teej 16y ago
Several years ago, I worked for a company that held a hackathon for developers. We were given one day to build whatever we wanted for a new API that was recently released. I worked on it for that day, and for many days afterwards during work hours. After three weeks of development, I was told that I would be fired unless I ceased work on the project and got back to work. Figuring I would "beg for forgiveness" later, I kept working on it in secret. Two weeks later, it was finished and I launched it into the wild. They weren't happy, but let me stay. Six months after launch my hackathon project had millions of users and had made the company over seven figures. I didn't end up getting fired, but I came close.
- jfager 16y ago
  That's not backfiring, that's exactly how it's supposed to work. The only way it could possibly be more storybook is if you had been fired and those 7 figures ended up directly in your pocket.
  - cema 16y ago
    Or perhaps he would have been fired and the money would still go into the company's pockets.
    - jfager 16y ago
      Of course that could have happened, too, but that wouldn't make for a very good storybook ending, would it?
- jfarmer 16y ago
  I was all, "Hey, interesting story." Then I was all, "I wonder who wrote it?" Now I'm all "!!!". The world that might have been. Do you ever think it would have been better if you had gotten fired?
  - teej 16y ago
    I'm definitely better off now. If I had been fired, it's unlikely I would've been successful in the space. I managed to sit on lots of panels, meet some top-tier people in the valley, and make some great connections. I didn't hit a $$ homerun this way, but my long-term prospects are good.
GFischer 16y ago
It's a bit unrelated, but I'm reminded of this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/regrets.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/regrets.png Different context, same attitude :)

by jknupp 16y ago

JoeAltmaier 16y ago

"You're Fired" can be the beginning of a beautiful career.

425 16y ago
Exactly. Sometimes I fantasize about being laid off, so I can have excuse why I am leaving this cushy job...
- lamby 16y ago
  For a small fee, I am happy to offer my services to get you fired.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
- random42 16y ago
  Same here.
- snprbob86 16y ago
  Severance would be a nice way to get started...
napierzaza 16y ago
Your attitude reminds me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]

huherto 16y ago

I have a story that backfired. I had a team of 5 developers that were working in a product. The company had been trying to build the product for several years. When I saw the architecture they were using I tried to convince the architect to make some changes. They wouldn't do it. They wouldn't even let me touch the code. I was a manager I wasn't supposed to get involved. So I thought. "It is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission". So I started to build the product from scratch. I had plenty of time and no one cared what I did. After 5 or 6 months I already had a product that was way a head than the official product. When I tried to show it to my manager he got really mad. He literally screamed at me. That was 1.5 years ago. I went in a depression for a long time. They fired the architect. They fired my manager. The developers had to spin their wheels for a long time. Then they left. And the product is still not ready.

jpablo 16y ago
But you asked permission first. And you were told "no". That's the point of the article. Do not ask for permission first.
- nandemo 16y ago
  He did work 5 months on something without asking permission.
jfager 16y ago
"Ask forgiveness rather than permission" is not equivalent to "forge ahead without thought for the consequences". Completely rewriting a codebase by yourself to show up a team that has been working on it for a long time might mean better code, but it's also a direct demonstration of the ineffectiveness of that team. Of course some kind of major shake-up is going to happen after something like that. Firing people might be a little extreme, but you certainly have to expect that it's a possibility. If you don't have the stomach for directly causing people to get fired, or for conflict, then don't go out of your way to demonstrate how poorly they're doing their job. Find your way out to something else, and let them do themselves in.
- 16y ago

teej 16y ago

Several years ago, I worked for a company that held a hackathon for developers. We were given one day to build whatever we wanted for a new API that was recently released. I worked on it for that day, and for many days afterwards during work hours. After three weeks of development, I was told that I would be fired unless I ceased work on the project and got back to work. Figuring I would "beg for forgiveness" later, I kept working on it in secret. Two weeks later, it was finished and I launched it into the wild. They weren't happy, but let me stay. Six months after launch my hackathon project had millions of users and had made the company over seven figures. I didn't end up getting fired, but I came close.

jfager 16y ago
That's not backfiring, that's exactly how it's supposed to work. The only way it could possibly be more storybook is if you had been fired and those 7 figures ended up directly in your pocket.
- cema 16y ago
  Or perhaps he would have been fired and the money would still go into the company's pockets.
  - jfager 16y ago
    Of course that could have happened, too, but that wouldn't make for a very good storybook ending, would it?
jfarmer 16y ago
I was all, "Hey, interesting story." Then I was all, "I wonder who wrote it?" Now I'm all "!!!". The world that might have been. Do you ever think it would have been better if you had gotten fired?
- teej 16y ago
  I'm definitely better off now. If I had been fired, it's unlikely I would've been successful in the space. I managed to sit on lots of panels, meet some top-tier people in the valley, and make some great connections. I didn't hit a $$ homerun this way, but my long-term prospects are good.

GFischer 16y ago

It's a bit unrelated, but I'm reminded of this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/regrets.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/regrets.png Different context, same attitude :)