4 ms·

She also did away with the standing rule that you could take any written standing offer - NO MATTER WHAT (unless you were actually fired for cause) - which was

by maw 13y ago

She also did away with the standing rule that you could take any written standing offer - NO MATTER WHAT (unless you were actually fired for cause) - which was Bill's way of ensuring that great engineers couldn't be tossed out by one horrible ass-kissing manager ... which is pretty much all of them today. I've read this about ten times and still don't understand it. Do you know what it is supposed to mean?

hga 13y ago
What that means is that if your manager is terminating you with extreme prejudice (but "without cause", e.g. not for stealing from the company), he's not allowed to be a gatekeeper and prevent you from joining another team. E.g. one that knows you are great and your manager is of the "horrible ass-kissing" variety. Let me supply another comment, which shows how terribly bad some very high levels of managers have become: http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2013/08/steve-ballmer-is-going-to-frickin.html?showComment=1377380382013#c3322100820840904710 http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2013/08/steve-ballmer-is-going-... Anonymous said... O.k. here are my 3 favorite Microsoft "principle consultant" experiences: 1. I had this really brilliant L-62 dev who couldn't believe just how STUPID the "chief architects" (L-65 and up, really were). So, one day, one of them walked into our office and took great offense because we'd changed his slides ... Without even blinking, he said "you can change the text all you want, but you can't change my pictures, because that's all people look at." As he was trying to explain to the guy that the "pictures" came from the actual "data" ... I suddenly realized that this moron didn't actually know where charts came from, and I excused myself and waited in the hallway for the really great partner consultant who thought I had a really bad attitude problem, to come flying out, desperately in need of a drink. It took 10 minutes. I took him out for a cup of coffee so no one saw him shaking, throwing things, and revisiting his whole opinion of Microsoft. Seriously, that one wins - but not by much 2). And the same great dev marched off one day to to tell the lead architect that the product he was planning to use, just didn't work that way ... And that one's just plain funny. The "Architect" (who I wouldn't hire to build a computer for a 5-year-old, looked really annoyed, pulled out a glossy marketing folder, pointed and said 'of course it does - IT SAYS SO, RIGHT HERE." Right. Bill Gates would have just shot these people and put their heads on stakes around the castle. [ 3rd example is a bit more intricate but just as bad. ]
- Mithaldu 13y ago
  For some reason that guy has a writing style that makes it extremely hard to figure out what he's trying to say. Specifically: > really great partner consultant Who is that? So far we had a dev and a chief architect, no partner consultant. > who thought I had a really bad attitude problem Where did that come from? > desperately in need of a drink Is that some kind of euphemism?
  - hga 13y ago
    Note these are comments by and for Microsoft insiders and former employees. Mini-Microsoft really wants the company to win, although I think he's largely given up by now. "Partner" is a Microsoft position. Consultant, besides the obvious, I don't know. We really don't need to know anything other than that he's above the author. "bad attitude problem" Because the author had previously been pointing out these sorts of problems. Note the ending where the partner consultant was "revisiting his whole opinion of Microsoft." "desperately in need of a drink" Well, given that they then drank coffee, only so much, but I originally took it as really in need of some alcohol, probably deferred due to the time of day.
    - Mithaldu 13y ago
      Thanks for the further information. :)
  - maw 13y ago
    For some reason that guy has a writing style that makes it extremely hard to figure out what he's trying to say. Sure does, but maybe you should just say "he's incoherent." :) And thanks to hga for explaining.
    - hga 13y ago
      Perhaps; it's certainly unclear enough I normally wouldn't forward it, but I think the burning managerial incompetence shines through the confused prose. I mean, a manager who doesn't understand his "pictures" which everyone focuses on are charts based on current data, which may change to his detriment? An "architect" who defeats challenges to his designs with glossy brochures? Hire a bozo at this level for your startup and it will probably die. That they have high positions of authority in an $80 billion dollar technology company is appalling with two 'p's.

by maw 13y ago

hga 13y ago

What that means is that if your manager is terminating you with extreme prejudice (but "without cause", e.g. not for stealing from the company), he's not allowed to be a gatekeeper and prevent you from joining another team. E.g. one that knows you are great and your manager is of the "horrible ass-kissing" variety. Let me supply another comment, which shows how terribly bad some very high levels of managers have become: http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2013/08/steve-ballmer-is-going-to-frickin.html?showComment=1377380382013#c3322100820840904710 http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2013/08/steve-ballmer-is-going-... Anonymous said... O.k. here are my 3 favorite Microsoft "principle consultant" experiences: 1. I had this really brilliant L-62 dev who couldn't believe just how STUPID the "chief architects" (L-65 and up, really were). So, one day, one of them walked into our office and took great offense because we'd changed his slides ... Without even blinking, he said "you can change the text all you want, but you can't change my pictures, because that's all people look at." As he was trying to explain to the guy that the "pictures" came from the actual "data" ... I suddenly realized that this moron didn't actually know where charts came from, and I excused myself and waited in the hallway for the really great partner consultant who thought I had a really bad attitude problem, to come flying out, desperately in need of a drink. It took 10 minutes. I took him out for a cup of coffee so no one saw him shaking, throwing things, and revisiting his whole opinion of Microsoft. Seriously, that one wins - but not by much 2). And the same great dev marched off one day to to tell the lead architect that the product he was planning to use, just didn't work that way ... And that one's just plain funny. The "Architect" (who I wouldn't hire to build a computer for a 5-year-old, looked really annoyed, pulled out a glossy marketing folder, pointed and said 'of course it does - IT SAYS SO, RIGHT HERE." Right. Bill Gates would have just shot these people and put their heads on stakes around the castle. [ 3rd example is a bit more intricate but just as bad. ]

Mithaldu 13y ago
For some reason that guy has a writing style that makes it extremely hard to figure out what he's trying to say. Specifically: > really great partner consultant Who is that? So far we had a dev and a chief architect, no partner consultant. > who thought I had a really bad attitude problem Where did that come from? > desperately in need of a drink Is that some kind of euphemism?
- hga 13y ago
  Note these are comments by and for Microsoft insiders and former employees. Mini-Microsoft really wants the company to win, although I think he's largely given up by now. "Partner" is a Microsoft position. Consultant, besides the obvious, I don't know. We really don't need to know anything other than that he's above the author. "bad attitude problem" Because the author had previously been pointing out these sorts of problems. Note the ending where the partner consultant was "revisiting his whole opinion of Microsoft." "desperately in need of a drink" Well, given that they then drank coffee, only so much, but I originally took it as really in need of some alcohol, probably deferred due to the time of day.
  - Mithaldu 13y ago
    Thanks for the further information. :)
- maw 13y ago
  For some reason that guy has a writing style that makes it extremely hard to figure out what he's trying to say. Sure does, but maybe you should just say "he's incoherent." :) And thanks to hga for explaining.
  - hga 13y ago
    Perhaps; it's certainly unclear enough I normally wouldn't forward it, but I think the burning managerial incompetence shines through the confused prose. I mean, a manager who doesn't understand his "pictures" which everyone focuses on are charts based on current data, which may change to his detriment? An "architect" who defeats challenges to his designs with glossy brochures? Hire a bozo at this level for your startup and it will probably die. That they have high positions of authority in an $80 billion dollar technology company is appalling with two 'p's.