6 ms·
I'm a little shocked to hear this, but I've had a similar fish story with Microsoft! I interned at Microsoft my junior year of college. Toward the end, I inter
by jgunsch 6y ago
I'm a little shocked to hear this, but I've had a similar fish story with Microsoft!
I interned at Microsoft my junior year of college. Toward the end, I interviewed with Google and got a competing offer.
But during the negotiation process, the recruiters had Chris Jones (Windows Live VP at the time) call me to try talking me into joining Microsoft. He told me his story about how at the start of his career, when he was comparing offers from a few companies, Microsoft (relatively unknown at the time) sent him a salmon from Pike Place Market --- and that gesture convinced him to accept Microsoft's offer.
Two days later, a package of smoked salmon on ice from Pike Place Market showed up at my door in Tucson, AZ.
(I went to Google for non-salmon-related reasons, but sending me food
mostly became a reminder that Google was offering free food as a perk!)
- lostlogin 6y agoThe series of Microsoft fish stories here is truely bizarre. Surely there is a more universally agreeable gift food?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- numpad0 6y agoMaybe the failure rate had been acceptable, ain’t fix if it ain’t broke style. I wonder if it has been the inspiration for Steve Jobs’ “Japanese are like dead fish washing up” quote, if Microsoft was sending dead fish left and right around California and he was sick of it.
- deanCommie 6y agoWho doesn't like Salmon?
- rhaps0dy 6y agoVegan applicants would not find it funny.
- OatsAndHoney 6y agohttps://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/08/06/who-are-americas-vegans-and-vegetarians-infographic/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/08/06/who-ar... Vegans at most account for 3% of the population. In a corporate entity that large, it doesn’t matter if you miss a hire or not. So if a vegan was offended, I’m sure no one cared and was happy to offer the job to someone else.
- hkyeti 6y agoHey good idea, deliberately exclude people who don't eat meat. You know who might end up being CEO level material
- TomMarius 6y ago"Don't send him the nice fish, he might be a vegetarian AND might be the next CEO"... Yeah, huh, I don't think that's the usual concern. I think many people wouldn't want to hire a person that takes offense from a misplaced but nice gesture, anyways - I would not.
- hkyeti 6y agoIf you're a hiring manager and can't even be bothered to know the most basic facts about me and that I might not like that piece or pork or salmon for religious or ethical reasons then that about says it all.
- x43b 6y ago>If you're a hiring manager and can't even be bothered to >know the most basic facts about me and that I might not like >that piece or pork or salmon for religious or ethical >reasons then that about says it all. If you are a hiring manager and you are attempting to learn someone's religious or dietary beliefs prior to hiring then then you should be sued/fired.
- ubermonkey 6y agoI think you may be missing how central absurdly high quality salmon is to the northwest. It's the local Thing. Lots of places have that sort of strong geographic tie to an art or food or what-have-you; the only odd part here is that most local foods don't travel well -- but smoked salmon obviously can and does.
- michelb 6y agoI'm shocked that the package apparently didn't contain a message. I mean, why would send a fish without a persuasive note?
- TheOtherHobbes 6y agoBecause that wouldn't be simultaneously grandiose, cheap, and tone-deaf.
- StavrosK 6y ago"There's more where that came from."