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How to Survive an Acquisition

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Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#71

Post by ArkyBeagle »

ldehaan wrote: post #10

Founder is so far from employee it's ridiculous you even comment. It's sad that most founders don't care or don't understand that sometimes they managed to hire people that actually care about the business, and could have helped make it better. When I see a founder sell his business, all I ever think is (as I'm sure most do), what a selfish asshole.

Every time you take a job, have a plan for the end game. Plans are worthless but planning is everything.

If you don't, you have just said "but this time it's different."

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#72

Post by infinite8s »

ascagnel_ wrote: post #23
cm2012 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a 3 hour commute (by express bus with comfy seats, etc.). Honestly, I just use the commute time as "me time", not too different from hanging out at home. The long commute lets me be close to my parents, in a neighborhood my wife likes, $1100 rent for a 2 bedroom in NYC, etc.

Where the heck do you live that you can get a 2BR in the NY metro area for $1100? Even the scuzziest areas start at $800-900 for a 1BR.

The Far Rockaways and Staten Island are technically part of NYC.

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#73

Post by infinite8s »

marssaxman wrote: post #33
ryandrake wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I commute 2 hours each way per day and you get used to it. It sucks but so do home prices in South Bay.

I never got used to the Microsoft commute, and that was rarely worse than 90 minutes coming home. It sucked, it continued to suck, it never got any better, it ruined my day, I hated my life, and it felt so good to drive away on my last day of that terrible job knowing I would never again have to spend any time on SR520 if I didn't want to. (I avoided that road for years afterward, actually, even when it would have be…

Commuting by car is much worse than commuting by bus or train (for any time greater than 45 min).

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#74

Post by pasbesoin »

HillRat wrote: post #43

In my experience, there's only one rule to surviving an acquisition: find political cover immediately . Upon acquisition, you and your team are an alien entity embedded in BigCo's immune system of political networks and operating rules. They don't know what to do with you, you are a threat to established patterns, and you will lose to the experienced players . So unless you have C-suite cover and a title to match it,…

And, remember, they will use you until they don't need you. Just because you're valuable this month, doesn't mean you will be, next month.

If you seem to be performing a lot of knowledge transfer. If you find yourself, a couple of weeks or months in, cut by cut being eliminated from communications and events.

The best way to, personally, survive an acquisition is to be cultivating your options before you ever hear of it, and to be honing them once you do. You might choose to stay. You might be given no choice.

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#75

Post by spimmy »

HCIdivision17 wrote: post #68
spimmy wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, or just completely oblivious. Most of the technical "advice" they insisted on giving us was just completely wrong. Also, gotta say, I was never as self-conscious about being a woman in tech until we got acquired by Facebook. I've never had so many experiences of walking in to a room (as a tech lead) and having a dude look me up and down and say, "ummm, how technical are you?"

Like, literally? I could see a question like that being asked , but I have no idea what a possible answer would be for anyone. Perhaps "7.2" might be pretty ok, but otherwise I can't fathom a single answer that isn't sarcastic, snarking, or arrogant. I'm plonking that alongside "when did you stop beating your wife"-style trap questions.

"Try me."

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#76

Post by pasbesoin »

VeilEm wrote: post #4

> One of Facebook’s internal slogans is something like “always do what’s best for Facebook”. Is that real? Like they really have this slogan that like comes straight out of a modern interpretation of Marx's theory of alienation shoved right into their employees faces? http://i.imgur.com/oVb4J0b.png

My response would be to put a personal spin on a trope that was being shoved down my and my coworkers throats circa 2005: "Mind the gap." (Yeah, some executive/consultant type went to London, heard the message, and wrote a book, I'm guessing.)

Mind the gap. When what's good for the company diverges increasingly from what is good for you...

Companies want you to "invest" in them, as a worker. If they aren't reciprocating, well, don't let yourself become co-dependent.

Beware, also, of when they may be offering something but it simply doesn't fit you. Your struggles will come across -- they will communicate themselves.

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#77

Post by tdeck »

logfromblammo wrote: post #37
mattiemass wrote: post #20

Holy moly. I've been through an acquisition, and it was the complete opposite experience. But, I have a bad feeling this post is completely right and this is typical. Must really feel terrible. I'm glad this person shared, and I hope they don't get into any kind of trouble over it.

I have been through five as an employee of the acquired company. My advice is to polish up your resume and dig your job search network out of the mothballs the instant you catch a whiff of one. If you're lucky, you will have approximately one year to find safe harbor before the storm hits. I always ask leading questions about ownership structure and acquisitions at interviews now.

Would you mind sharing some examples of good questions to ask in an interview? It seems particularly hard to evaluate companies as an interviewee when they're trying to be secretive.

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#78

Post by jonathankoren »

VeilEm wrote: post #4

> One of Facebook’s internal slogans is something like “always do what’s best for Facebook”. Is that real? Like they really have this slogan that like comes straight out of a modern interpretation of Marx's theory of alienation shoved right into their employees faces? http://i.imgur.com/oVb4J0b.png

I never saw that. However, the "Stay Focused & Keep Shipping" signs always seemed dark to me.

Re: How to Survive an Acquisition

#80

Post by seattle_spring »

chris_wot wrote: post #58

There is literally only one thing to do: get your resume together and get the hell out. If they offer you options that take 3 years to actually occur, ignore them. If you believe in your product, take a few weeks to get over the shock, then find something else to sink your teeth into!

I wish I would have followed this advice. I was part of a very large acquisition that netted me a measly $30k. The retention package was sizable (for me), but it took your quoted 3 years to even begin vesting.

I left at the end of year 2 and was miserable for almost a full year prior to leaving. I didn't even have any financial gain to show from it.

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