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"Maybe I was just tired. And when you’re responsible for so many people, you owe them more than that. Better to step aside and let others have their turn. So I
by niggler 14y ago
"Maybe I was just tired.
And when you’re responsible for so many people, you owe them more than that. Better to step aside and let others have their turn. So I did."
All too often we see managers hold onto jobs and effectively stifle others with poor management, but it's refreshing to see someone think about the good of the company.
EDIT: and the good of the people for which he was responsible (thanks nsmartt)
- nsmartt 14y agoI'd amend that he was thinking of the good of the people for which he was responsible. edit: wording
- tsunamifury 14y agoI would hazard a guess that if they were all paid as well as him, they would retire too.
- donmelton 14y agoSome of them did. But the decision to retire is not always about the money.
- markahern 14y agoI'd like to think that most people who become wealthy enough to have the option of retiring early are motivated by something other than money.
- jarek 14y agoWhat makes you think that? I would think that those motivated primarily by money are overrepresented among early retirees, if only because people motivated primarily by something else (helping people, changing societies, becoming the best by some criterion) will focus on that goal. Getting rich is something most people have to aim at.
- micampe 14y agoPeople don't always just work for money.
- olentangy 14y agoI didn't work for Don, but as an engineer in another part of the company. I too was able to retire (at age 49). It makes me sad that the stock options that made my retirement possible won't be available to the next generation of engineers because of bad tax law (Sarbanes-Oxley).
- chetanahuja 14y agoHow does that follow exactly ? Aren't RSU's an option (like at Google) to reward employees with stocks (but not stock options) ?
- othermaciej 14y agoTypically you get a much smaller number of RSUs than options. Though there's no strike price. So RSUs are often worth more if the stock doesn't move much, but worth a lot less if there is a huge run-up.
- donmelton 14y agoMuch better answer.
- btilly 14y agoThe benefit of RSUs to the company is not just that they are worth more if a stock doesn't move much, but that they retain value when a stock drops. This avoids the trap where a company has a dip in value, and suddenly all of the people you were trying to keep golden handcuffs on have nothing keeping them there. So they start leaving, which causes you real problems. The downside is exactly what you say - the potential upside on options is massively greater than RSUs.
- rboyd 14y agoAm I missing something? You still have the same problem with RSUs. RSU value can decline enough that your staff may feel they're no longer getting fair comp and move on.
- doe88 14y agoTell that to Ballmer.
- donmelton 14y agoYes, please someone tell that to Ballmer. :)