3 ms·

Cray was never selected. Either they didn't submit an offer, or their price was too high.

• Kon-Peki 3y ago
  I've sat in on plenty of B2B sales pitches, and am fairly certain that no salesman ever believes that you will actually run those tests. And if even if you did, that you would actually throw away a full year of integration work to go with the backup plan. Plus, having seen/heard a lot about how salesman are employed - all too often their commission/compensation is locked in when the contract is signed. They get their money regardless of what happens a year or two down the road, and are thus incentivized to "misrepresent" performance and capabilities.
  • stonogo 3y ago
    Any sane HPC program has an acceptance testing phase in the delivery terms of the contract, with specific penalties (IBM calls them "considerations") for failing to meet the technical requirements. Sales teams in the HPC are extremely aware of this. Blue Waters is a great example of throwing away years of work and pivoting to the backup plan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Waters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Waters
  • singleshot_ 3y ago
    Ugliest day in a salesman’s life: the day he learns about “clawback.”