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> Corporate Development, aka corp dev, is the group within companies that buys other companies. If you're talking to someone from corp dev, that's why, whether

> Corporate Development, aka corp dev, is the group within companies that buys other companies. If you're talking to someone from corp dev, that's why, whether you realize it yet or not. Can someone piece this together? > I remember once complaining to a friend at Google about some nasty trick their corp dev people had pulled on a YC startup. "What happened to Don't be Evil?" I asked. "I don't think corp dev got the memo," he replied. [3] Hey, Paul Graham not afraid to call out Google! Good for him.

par 12y ago
yes the 'thats why' is referring to the previous sentence, 'is the group within companies that buys other companies'. So he's saying 'hey this is the group that buys other companies, if you're talking to them it's because they [maybe] want to buy you'. Not really clear though.
phkahler 12y ago
I deleted my comment with the same complaint. He means if someone from another company's corp dev is talking to you it's because they may want to buy your company. This was unexpectedly unclear coming from PG.
- AnimalMuppet 12y ago
  The (unstated) context is that PG is talking to startups. They don't have CorpDev of their own, because they're startups. So the only CorpDev they could be talking to is someone else's. I'll agree that it could have been clearer. But it was probably clear enough to be workable for the target audience.
jamoes 12y ago
> Can someone piece this together? I think he means this: If you're talking to someone [from another company] from corp dev, [they want to acquire you], whether you realize it yet or not.
DavidWanjiru 12y ago
I think he means it this way: "...if you're talking to corp dev (as opposed to anyone else, or the person you expected to talk to), it's because they're the ones in charge of buying other companies...."
yarek 12y ago
"- that is why" would have been better than ", that is why".

par 12y ago

yes the 'thats why' is referring to the previous sentence, 'is the group within companies that buys other companies'. So he's saying 'hey this is the group that buys other companies, if you're talking to them it's because they [maybe] want to buy you'. Not really clear though.

phkahler 12y ago

I deleted my comment with the same complaint. He means if someone from another company's corp dev is talking to you it's because they may want to buy your company. This was unexpectedly unclear coming from PG.

AnimalMuppet 12y ago
The (unstated) context is that PG is talking to startups. They don't have CorpDev of their own, because they're startups. So the only CorpDev they could be talking to is someone else's. I'll agree that it could have been clearer. But it was probably clear enough to be workable for the target audience.

jamoes 12y ago

> Can someone piece this together? I think he means this: If you're talking to someone [from another company] from corp dev, [they want to acquire you], whether you realize it yet or not.

DavidWanjiru 12y ago

I think he means it this way: "...if you're talking to corp dev (as opposed to anyone else, or the person you expected to talk to), it's because they're the ones in charge of buying other companies...."

yarek 12y ago

"- that is why" would have been better than ", that is why".