Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

codusoperandi.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–106 of 106 posts

Re: How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

#101

Post by kds »

kenjackson wrote: post #6

Jonathan Rochelle repeated wryly and with a smile, "Yes, time to go. Google is here," WTF? Is Google the mob or something? Almost seems like the next line should have been, "And I was never seen or heard from again."

The lesson for me here is that even if Barack Obama or Bill Gates approaches you - you should act calmly and politely (and alertly as inner state) but as if you know or presume nothing of the opposite side's intentions, power, possible usefulness to you, etc.

Some kind of mental aikido stance combined with polite poker face that seems to leave off the initiative of first action but disarms the other side of certain ways to influence you.

Re: How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

#104

Post by mturmon »

burgerbrain wrote: post #45
epo wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like the American "could care less" is the same as the British "couldn't care less". Two nations divided by a common language as someone is supposed to have said.

A better example of phrases that mean different things on either side of the Atlantic is what it means to "table" a proposal. In the US it means "kill it", but in the UK it means "bring it up". If an American says "could care less", they're just being incorrect. ;) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28verb%29

"could care less" is a shortening of "could not care less", and the latter phrase is correct. the words themselves don't mean anything any more, it's a stock phrase.

i think the sentiment is, "I care so little that I don't even want to use all the words needed to say how little I care".

Re: How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

#105

Post by jtheory »

encoderer wrote: post #46
grellas wrote: post #32

Prospective acquirers will often pursue potential targets simultaneously and, if they go silent on you, this may have little or nothing to do with whether you followed up diligently or not. In my experience, when an acquiring company wants to move, they know how to do so quickly, at least to engage in sufficient due diligence to see whether they might want to do the deal. Thus, when you do get in a situation where yo…

Of course, all of this is learned between ages 15 and 30 with the wonderful (and not so wonderful) women we meet :) Sometimes you're the acquirer, sometimes you're the acquired, and sometimes you're the one sitting there wondering why it went dark :)

There's probably a way to phrase that without implying that HN is a "gentleman's-only" club. (With every romantic interest we entertain?) Or that the learning is limited to the 15-30 age range -- I know people my father's age who are learning some very painful lessons in this department...

Regardless, the point has merit, and in either context you can't win (or even gain the experience you need to win) unless you're in the game. :)

Re: How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

#106

Post by jtheory »

Archaeum wrote: post #37
trickjarrett wrote: post #3

A great read about politeness (though it had some negotiating impacts) causing a missed opportunity. I too err on the side of politeness when it comes to business interactions and I've learned that more often than not, when I'm dealing with someone remotely whether it be a colleague or a point of contact, that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I think it was a mistake to let it ride for so long. A few weeks, maybe two…

My natural tendency would be towards patience, I think, so I would be in danger of letting things slide. Realizing that, though, I'd be in a position to do something about it. If the goal is to keep your name on the radar, it seems like you just need to get something into the contact's inbox. What about a note detailing new features or improvements you'd implemented in the past week or two? It could be a way to indic…

"...get something into the contact's inbox" -- yes, this. You can avoid sitting and waiting without being rude or pushy either.

With a little creativity, there's usually a way to keep communication open without seeming rude by asking again about whatever it is you actually want to know.

Ideally, something that prompts a short reply -- ending with a simple yes/no question, for example -- so that they will actively respond to you, and feel some obligation to also give you a short update on The Big Thing.

You can also amiably pester someone repeatedly by giving them a new reason for the new request.

If you're communicating with someone very busy, also be very sure to make any email message as simple and terse as you can.

Post reply on HN