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Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

geekwire.com

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Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#11

Post by robbiet480 »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #8

"resigns" Even in the letter he shared himself he said the founder didn't see eye to eye with him, he 100% got fired. This is also the typical process at Amazon when directors and about are fired, they all "choose to leave to refocus on family".

> Clark has hired political consultants to advise him on a potential 2026 run for governor of Texas, where he resides, according to people familiar with the matter. Greg Abbott, a Texas Republican, is currently serving a third term as governor.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/dave-clark-resigns-as-flexport-...

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#12

Post by wombat-man »

TX81Z wrote: post #10
throwaway5959 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The only place I've really worked in my life is Amazon. And so I didn't get out much.” Hard pass.

So many people in leadership at top companies just won the start-up lottery as a junior employee and had the internal drive to get promo at all costs to gradually get to the top. As soon as they leave the bubble it’s clear how few real skills they possess. Likewise, the degree to which Director+ jobs just hire based on current title at a competitor alone is bonkers. I’ve worked under people who are utterly clueless b…

Sounds rad as hell if you're a VP

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#13

Post by mkii »

TX81Z wrote: post #10
throwaway5959 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The only place I've really worked in my life is Amazon. And so I didn't get out much.” Hard pass.

So many people in leadership at top companies just won the start-up lottery as a junior employee and had the internal drive to get promo at all costs to gradually get to the top. As soon as they leave the bubble it’s clear how few real skills they possess. Likewise, the degree to which Director+ jobs just hire based on current title at a competitor alone is bonkers. I’ve worked under people who are utterly clueless b…

This is indeed all too common but sadly not unbelievable. Most mid-to-higher manager roles are not to be effective with a mission necessarily (which would require "real skills"), but instead to hold responsibility over a particular function. If the proverbial storm hits the fan, these Directors/VPs can migrate to another company, bringing all their previous cronies with a nice title/pay bump.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#14

Post by pknomad »

scrum-treats wrote: post #2

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#15

Post by tyingq »

TX81Z wrote: post #10
throwaway5959 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The only place I've really worked in my life is Amazon. And so I didn't get out much.” Hard pass.

So many people in leadership at top companies just won the start-up lottery as a junior employee and had the internal drive to get promo at all costs to gradually get to the top. As soon as they leave the bubble it’s clear how few real skills they possess. Likewise, the degree to which Director+ jobs just hire based on current title at a competitor alone is bonkers. I’ve worked under people who are utterly clueless b…

The key milestones for VP often are

- Luck landed them in a leadership spot on a project that was already successful or headed that way

- They didn't do anything to abruptly change that course

- They are skilled at managing up with the right words, phrases, actions

Then, they move up in the chain they are already in, where everything is very familiar. Goes well enough until they move outside that bubble.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#16

Post by throwboatyface »

TX81Z wrote: post #10
throwaway5959 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The only place I've really worked in my life is Amazon. And so I didn't get out much.” Hard pass.

So many people in leadership at top companies just won the start-up lottery as a junior employee and had the internal drive to get promo at all costs to gradually get to the top. As soon as they leave the bubble it’s clear how few real skills they possess. Likewise, the degree to which Director+ jobs just hire based on current title at a competitor alone is bonkers. I’ve worked under people who are utterly clueless b…

Yup. If you got your foot in the door at the right place and people in leadership liked you, you're on the track to be a director in 6-8 years. Usually the people who promoted you were themselves early employees with no experience being executives, who just peter-principled into senior director/VP roles.

I've watched these failsons get promoted to senior director/VP, leave before they were ever accountable for their bad decisions, and then bring all their cronies over to the new place at the same levels.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#18

Post by dave78 »

pknomad wrote: post #14
scrum-treats wrote: post #2

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

I've experienced something similar at Peloton where a C-level kept bringing former reports at Uber for key roles and started to push out the existing employees. It's business at the end of the day but I do think there's a graceful way of bringing people in from former companies.

Same thing at my company, only it was a former Microsoft employee who brought along all his buddies. They screwed up a bunch of stuff because they didn't understand our market or customers, and then all slowly got let go before having to contend with the full consequences of their bad decisions.

We're now in a multi year recovery process.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#19

Post by mhb »

WisNorCan wrote: post #9
scrum-treats wrote: post #2

Additional information on Dave Clark's impact: "Some Flexport insiders say layoffs and an influx of former Amazon leaders are wrecking morale."[1] '"These people do not have conversations — they make demands," one laid-off employee said. Unsatisfactory answers could be met with harsh feedback, sources said. One laid-off Flexporter said an Amazon veteran told them, "I don't believe a word you're saying," during a pres…

This is the scariest part of the whole article “during a presentation they said took months to prepare.” This sounds like what I would expect in the federal government or IBM. Not a fast growing startup changing the world. I hope Ryan can change this part of the culture or they are dead.

Didn't Ryan hire him?

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#20

Post by jahewson »

TX81Z wrote: post #10
throwaway5959 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The only place I've really worked in my life is Amazon. And so I didn't get out much.” Hard pass.

So many people in leadership at top companies just won the start-up lottery as a junior employee and had the internal drive to get promo at all costs to gradually get to the top. As soon as they leave the bubble it’s clear how few real skills they possess. Likewise, the degree to which Director+ jobs just hire based on current title at a competitor alone is bonkers. I’ve worked under people who are utterly clueless b…

What gets me is that they have no idea how awful they are at what they do.
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