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> On the other hand a good marketing person is worth gold. I don't deny this, but I think you can say this for any position that ultimately can deliver somethi

> On the other hand a good marketing person is worth gold. I don't deny this, but I think you can say this for any position that ultimately can deliver something. A good PM, a good IT manager, or just the accepted good engineer. People that really want to contribute will work on what matters most and set their egos aside. I say this as someone who has been a PM before and realized it was not the most critical function at the time, so I offered to go back to engineering (I've worked full time as both for years). A good employee will contribute the best they can, and a great employee will be able to identify what matters most and works towards helping (even if they can't do it themselves). I realize my comment is a tangent, I just feel like it's unnecessary siloing that props up some positions as more important than others. It will depend on the situation. Sometimes you need more engineering talent, sometimes you need more salesmanship, sometimes you need more product direction - it's impossible to know without being at the company. And it's very hard to recognize what matters most outside of your area of expertise.

spaetzleesser 5y ago
I think a good salesperson or marketing person can bring way more value than a good PM or IT manager usually can.
- username90 5y ago
  Linus Torvalds is evidence that a good PM/IT manager is worth a lot. There aren't a lot of people that can make or lead a team to make world class products, but the number of marketing mangers who are exceptional enough to have significant impact on your company aren't that many either.
- Teever 5y ago
  Yeah that idea worked out real well for Theranos.
  - helloworld11 5y ago
    It did though. That Theranos was at heart a complete scam doesn't take away from the quality of its marketing and promotion. If anything, it shows how exceptional they can be, in elevating even a mostly worthless "product" to media attention until the lies become impossible to hide.
    - OnlineGladiator 5y ago
      I think this is the wrong takeaway. I understand your point, but ultimately the company failed and there is a possibility Elizabeth Holmes will go to jail. There was no financial payout. Doubling down on bullshit just leads to a worse reckoning (at least in a world with accountability, and sadly that's not always the case).

spaetzleesser 5y ago

I think a good salesperson or marketing person can bring way more value than a good PM or IT manager usually can.

username90 5y ago
Linus Torvalds is evidence that a good PM/IT manager is worth a lot. There aren't a lot of people that can make or lead a team to make world class products, but the number of marketing mangers who are exceptional enough to have significant impact on your company aren't that many either.
Teever 5y ago
Yeah that idea worked out real well for Theranos.
- helloworld11 5y ago
  It did though. That Theranos was at heart a complete scam doesn't take away from the quality of its marketing and promotion. If anything, it shows how exceptional they can be, in elevating even a mostly worthless "product" to media attention until the lies become impossible to hide.
  - OnlineGladiator 5y ago
    I think this is the wrong takeaway. I understand your point, but ultimately the company failed and there is a possibility Elizabeth Holmes will go to jail. There was no financial payout. Doubling down on bullshit just leads to a worse reckoning (at least in a world with accountability, and sadly that's not always the case).