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I had a bit of a melt down yesterday while a company all hands meeting was taking place. This guy spoke for 15 minutes and said not one thing that wasn't just a

I had a bit of a melt down yesterday while a company all hands meeting was taking place. This guy spoke for 15 minutes and said not one thing that wasn't just a business buzz word, there wasn't a bit of substance, and I realized and cried out to my wife "This fuckhead has no idea what's going on or what this company even does the only thing he knows is how to be an MBA" As soon as something swaps hands from the person or people who built it because they understood the problem it solved to people who only see it as an engine for profit it begins to die, and we've set up systems to make the death long and agonizing while the MBAs bleed it dry.

paiute 4y ago
I felt the same as you when I was younger, but next time watch the faces of all the non-engineers in the room. It will start to make sense.
- felipemnoa 4y ago
  For the rest of us that will probably not have a chance to be in the same situation, could you please explain?
  - 88913527 4y ago
    I think he's saying they're eating it up. I haven't bothered paying attention to business-type's face's in all hands when a business person presents, but I imagine they glow up at corpspeak. Those with more technical specialties are more likely to have a neutral reaction, or more realistically a pokerface.
  - paiute 4y ago
    Persuasion basically. They can take any situation and make most of the room feel good and confident in the business. Good politicians do this too. It doesn't work on everyone, but it works well enough.
    - felipemnoa 4y ago
      Got it. Never would have guessed.
wiml 4y ago
That is the core tenet of the MBA — that managing one kind of enterprise is just the same as managing any other; there is no need for domain knowledge, and it's probably actually counterproductive.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
fiat_fandango 4y ago
This is why I quit being a TPM - at one point I just started making up bogus words and every PM (non-technical) with an MBA immediately jumped at the opportunity to use a cool new word. The day that did it for me, aside from the company failing to realize any pivot towards actual revenue was "well, at this point our best case outcome is to be revenue-neutral but ideally by Q4 with the current POC we'll be revenue-positive and able to reneg on prior action items". Just say, what we're doing right now isn't working and we're not making money...

paiute 4y ago

I felt the same as you when I was younger, but next time watch the faces of all the non-engineers in the room. It will start to make sense.

felipemnoa 4y ago
For the rest of us that will probably not have a chance to be in the same situation, could you please explain?
- 88913527 4y ago
  I think he's saying they're eating it up. I haven't bothered paying attention to business-type's face's in all hands when a business person presents, but I imagine they glow up at corpspeak. Those with more technical specialties are more likely to have a neutral reaction, or more realistically a pokerface.
- paiute 4y ago
  Persuasion basically. They can take any situation and make most of the room feel good and confident in the business. Good politicians do this too. It doesn't work on everyone, but it works well enough.
  - felipemnoa 4y ago
    Got it. Never would have guessed.

wiml 4y ago

That is the core tenet of the MBA — that managing one kind of enterprise is just the same as managing any other; there is no need for domain knowledge, and it's probably actually counterproductive.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

fiat_fandango 4y ago

This is why I quit being a TPM - at one point I just started making up bogus words and every PM (non-technical) with an MBA immediately jumped at the opportunity to use a cool new word. The day that did it for me, aside from the company failing to realize any pivot towards actual revenue was "well, at this point our best case outcome is to be revenue-neutral but ideally by Q4 with the current POC we'll be revenue-positive and able to reneg on prior action items". Just say, what we're doing right now isn't working and we're not making money...