Agreed. In a way, this could mean the CEO was already aware of a need to change, but needed people caring enough to try a different approach and this woman did

Agreed. In a way, this could mean the CEO was already aware of a need to change, but needed people caring enough to try a different approach and this woman did the right thing at the right time. Another way to put it: if she didn't walk to hime he could have gone to some independant product guy/girl the next week or month to rethink the design. [1] When asking to work for a company, there is always the tension between the company needing one's input (in other words, their product really suck in some way) and the company willing and being able to act on the input. The OP's story flashed back the other stories of the designer that went to Google to bring some design expertise and just dropped the ball because it was an endless uphill battle. [1] Of course, the other way round, if she's a freelance designer invited to award ceremonies and walks at CEOs pitching ideas to improve their companies, she'll eventually find work I think.