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Mark Hurd Has Died

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201–209 of 209 posts

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#201

I feel really bad for Hurd and his family. Why work that hard? The 24/7 CEO lifestyle seems like such a waste of time if you end up working it to the day you die. Like, why work that hard? For the family you never see? The vacation home you can visit for 5 days a year? The yacht you leave parked 360 days a year? The job is so demanding and so hard it seems like Mark worked himself to death, literally. He probably cou…

I don’t believe these guys do it just for the money. They probably really like it and also have a talent for it. Same for running for political office. You have to like it and also be good at it. Otherwise I don’t think you can get to that level.

At a certain point, at the very highest levels of 'work', work becomes more of a game when you don't need to worry about making the mortgage payment or the kids' college tuition bill. This is very true for CEOs, hedgies and many types of jobs that require a high level of skill.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#202

I feel really bad for Hurd and his family. Why work that hard? The 24/7 CEO lifestyle seems like such a waste of time if you end up working it to the day you die. Like, why work that hard? For the family you never see? The vacation home you can visit for 5 days a year? The yacht you leave parked 360 days a year? The job is so demanding and so hard it seems like Mark worked himself to death, literally. He probably cou…

It’s ambition. If you don’t have it, you won’t get it.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#203
Life is full of choices, and Mark made his choice so who am I to criticize. I closed my laptop and drove out of SV at 42, leaving behind a CFO job at a large enterprise software company with lots of career upside. My choice was predicated on the recognition that the price one pays for this type of career success was not worth it, to me. But my values are not your values, so the important thing is to make a thoughtful, informed decision about how one wants to spend their short time here.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#204
post #68
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? If modelling was her thing, a Playboy appearance is a major accomplishment.

Getting into Playboy these days means that the model is able to find a sponsor that pays her appearance in the magazine. It is an achievement, but of a completely different kind than most people would have thought. Source: I am a photographer, know some of their models and they told me.

Can you explain further? Is the sponsor someone personally interested in the model’s career or is it a company that she is endorsing? What is the typical fee for this?

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#205
post #123
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Salesforce did it recently. It's about division of labor. https://fortune.com/2018/08/07/salesforce-keith-block-co-ceo... “I am going to be focusing on, No. 1, the products, the technology—as well as the culture,” says Benioff, “and Keith is very much focused on the operations and distribution functions of the company. We feel it’s going to naturally align with both of our strengths.” Product, Marketing, Vision, Cult…

> focused on the operations and distribution functions of the company At the risk of sounding dumb, isn't that what the COO is for?

I think it’s primarily a public acknowledgment that they’re as important, maybe even more important, for such a mature company. The kinds of people who qualify, are the kinds of people who dream of being a CEO, and don’t want to roll up to someone else. They would likely go somewhere they could easily be CEO without the bump.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are right, its definitely a leadership issue, if you have really hired the right lieutenants and 100% trust them, you don't need to be pulling 70 hr weeks. Unfortunately, most "leaders" never allow that, they love to get involved in every fire - big or small, and I feel, they derive their sense of self-worth from it.

You know the romantic arc in some comedies and many action movies? The people in a stressful situation form a bond. At the beginning they hated each other. At the end they were living happily ever after. It's not just a movie trope, it's a human cliche. Pour enough oxytocin onto a human brain and you'll believe anybody is your bestie. Survival creates a bond. These guys create emergencies and then become emotionally…

I've definitely seen that, it morphs into a bro-code of sorts. Interestingly, most of corporate America borrows its parlance from the military ( pick your battles, rally the troops..) Someone, thought up this psycho-babble to make corporate jobs sound and mean as important as being at war.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#208
When a man dedicates his life to this type of job, both he and his family know,that it is a way of life. Don't think that at this point Mark was,so much after the money, a's he was brilliant, what good does it do if you live to be 99 and you have survived cancer, lost your mind, bc of Alzheimer, swallow a lot of pills to keep yourself going, have a dull, monotonous,existence, is that so much fun and attainable. For Whom The Bell Tolls, noone can look around corners, what I know of Mark, he did what he did with passion, intensity and conviction. Although I was really sad to hear about it, he seems to have lived a fulfilled life.

Re: Mark Hurd Has Died

#209
Mark was not liked by all at Teradata nor NCR either, at times I complained, but really looking at the big picture, there was nothing else that would have worked. When iconoclast make unpopular decisions the masses don't like it. The vision and dedication, plus simplification of complex ideas, this is so attractive, there are not that many of those around globally with the chuzpah and pioneer spirit that is what needs to be celebrated and admired. Every man has fault and makes mistakes, who is free of that, if anyone is please I want to hear from you in a New York minute. RIP Mark
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