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I am going to admit out loud something that I suspect many people here also feel: I am envious of Anthony Levandowski Not his unscrupulous behavior, theft, an

I am going to admit out loud something that I suspect many people here also feel: I am envious of Anthony Levandowski Not his unscrupulous behavior, theft, and all that. But rather the fact that his confidence, swagger, and the ability to talk to Thrun and Larry and Sergei and Travis as equals (or as inferiors, actually, in this technical domain) gave people such a high impression that they bestowed him with $centi-million bonuses. I'm well-paid in silicon valley but my stock grants have been flat for years. I haven't been able to grow a large team (let alone 2000 people like Levandowski at Uber apparently). If I'm caught in an elevator with our Senior VP, I don't really know what to say (and I'm certainly not invited up to the executive floor to continue the conversation afterwards). And yet here we have a guy who did all this by orders of magnitude and at multiple companies. I don't want to be a dirtbag like him, but I will admit I am envious.

draw_down 7y ago
Seems like a weird reaction to hearing that a man has been indicted, but okay.
bob33212 7y ago
Not me, totally fine if I never have 2000 people working for me.
- khazhou 7y ago
  Oh I know, me neither. But I've been denied headcount several times. I don't want 2000, but envy the magical ability to get at least a bigger number. Unfortunately, time and again I've seen that the person who grows that big team, etc, is an unqualified idiot asshole. Good guys don't frequently win.
  - kenneth 7y ago
    Nice guys finish last is a saying that rings true in multiple fields. It's also entirely within anyone's control to realize that and act accordingly. I'm less of a nice guy these days, and my life is better for it. Though I try to ultimately be very nice to the people I care about.
kps 7y ago
> they bestowed him with $centi-million bonuses. Point of order: ‘centi‐’ is one hundredth. Even I've had $centi-million bonuses.
- smarks 7y ago
  No. “Centum” means one hundred. Of course, the SI prefix “centi-” does mean one hundredth, but “cent-“ can mean one hundred in other contexts. Consider a century is 100 years, a centurion commands 100 men, etc.

draw_down 7y ago

Seems like a weird reaction to hearing that a man has been indicted, but okay.

bob33212 7y ago

Not me, totally fine if I never have 2000 people working for me.

khazhou 7y ago
Oh I know, me neither. But I've been denied headcount several times. I don't want 2000, but envy the magical ability to get at least a bigger number. Unfortunately, time and again I've seen that the person who grows that big team, etc, is an unqualified idiot asshole. Good guys don't frequently win.
- kenneth 7y ago
  Nice guys finish last is a saying that rings true in multiple fields. It's also entirely within anyone's control to realize that and act accordingly. I'm less of a nice guy these days, and my life is better for it. Though I try to ultimately be very nice to the people I care about.

kps 7y ago

> they bestowed him with $centi-million bonuses. Point of order: ‘centi‐’ is one hundredth. Even I've had $centi-million bonuses.

smarks 7y ago
No. “Centum” means one hundred. Of course, the SI prefix “centi-” does mean one hundredth, but “cent-“ can mean one hundred in other contexts. Consider a century is 100 years, a centurion commands 100 men, etc.