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I would be leery hiring anybody associated with SCO. I'm not saying that it would be a "No-Hire" - but it is a big red flag would involve a lot of questions.

I would be leery hiring anybody associated with SCO. I'm not saying that it would be a "No-Hire" - but it is a big red flag would involve a lot of questions. It's far enough back now, that I would not mention them on your resume (Typically resumes don't include every company you've ever worked for) unless you were applying for a position that requires "100% disclosure" of all companies you've been associated with. cstross, though, is one of the few people who has told the SCO story in a way that it probably might not hurt him too much... In general - just agreeing that what they did was bad, might be enough in most "Side of Light" companies. On the flip side - if you are applying for a job at a Patent troll (Side of darkness) - then maybe a person's time at SCO might be a bonus? SCO really is a very, very toxic company - and there are a number of senior managers of that company that I wouldn't eat dinner with, and certainly would never shake their hands. The way I explain it to my friends - As Enron was to manipulating markets and shady financials, SCO was to open source software. Good riddance, one of the very few companies I'm happy to see die.

cstross 14y ago
Under UK employment law, there's a precedent that says that, just as an ex-employee shouldn't libel their former employer, employers have a duty not to bring their former staff's resume into disrepture. I'm told by a barrister of my acquaintance that if I was still working in IT, and SCO was still doing business in the UK, I'd have a reasonable claim against them in court ... (The precedent was set when former employees of BCCI sued that bank in the wake of its collapse in the 1990s. They cleaned up.)
ScottBurson 14y ago
I think we all agree with you about the recent incarnation of SCO, but the point is that the original SCO was a perfectly legitimate business.
- dllthomas 14y ago
  Perfectly legitimate and pretty awesome, even.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  Ah - that point got by me, Sorry. Now, the challenge is, on your resume (in this, and any other situation) is to differentiate between when the company was wonderful, and did good things, and when it was under new management, and, to capture how long you stuck around under the new management. For example - I wonder if there was a time that Enron was a great company as well?
lifeguard 14y ago
Useful employees lest tSCOg years and years ago. Only a few executives and book keepers worked there. And an outside trustee was brought in as well. I guess one take away is don't hire Davide Boise law firm.
Evbn 14y ago
That's silly. Anyone who worked at SCO was gone before Dark McBride took the paper shell of the corporation to court.

cstross 14y ago

Under UK employment law, there's a precedent that says that, just as an ex-employee shouldn't libel their former employer, employers have a duty not to bring their former staff's resume into disrepture. I'm told by a barrister of my acquaintance that if I was still working in IT, and SCO was still doing business in the UK, I'd have a reasonable claim against them in court ... (The precedent was set when former employees of BCCI sued that bank in the wake of its collapse in the 1990s. They cleaned up.)

ScottBurson 14y ago

I think we all agree with you about the recent incarnation of SCO, but the point is that the original SCO was a perfectly legitimate business.

dllthomas 14y ago
Perfectly legitimate and pretty awesome, even.
ghshephard 14y ago
Ah - that point got by me, Sorry. Now, the challenge is, on your resume (in this, and any other situation) is to differentiate between when the company was wonderful, and did good things, and when it was under new management, and, to capture how long you stuck around under the new management. For example - I wonder if there was a time that Enron was a great company as well?

lifeguard 14y ago

Useful employees lest tSCOg years and years ago. Only a few executives and book keepers worked there. And an outside trustee was brought in as well. I guess one take away is don't hire Davide Boise law firm.

Evbn 14y ago

That's silly. Anyone who worked at SCO was gone before Dark McBride took the paper shell of the corporation to court.