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Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

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Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#51

Post by voganmother42 »

darksaints wrote: post #43
jzb wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not saying you’re wrong, but a bit more substance and less vitriol might be illuminating. I can’t recall hearing anything about him good or bad (This comment aside…).

I could probably write a book on him and everything he did at Amazon that was worth talking about, and I gotta admit, I didn't want to start today, but you're right that he deserves an explanation. Here's a few snippets that can be directly attributed to him: * Amazon's policy of firing people on the spot for talking about unionizing. * Their (former) policy of not operating anywhere where they would end up having to…

Worst was his tweets mocking Bernie Sanders

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#52

Post by smugma »

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.

One division where I work brought in a bunch of ex-Cisco folks. It’s odd but for some reason, they did really well here, even though Cisco is quite different than FAANG.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#53

Post by tortue0 »

dave78 wrote: post #18
pknomad wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Felt this too with MSFT folks.

I never want to hear "rhythm of the business" again.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#54

Post by 1letterunixname »

darksaints wrote: post #43
jzb wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not saying you’re wrong, but a bit more substance and less vitriol might be illuminating. I can’t recall hearing anything about him good or bad (This comment aside…).

I could probably write a book on him and everything he did at Amazon that was worth talking about, and I gotta admit, I didn't want to start today, but you're right that he deserves an explanation. Here's a few snippets that can be directly attributed to him: * Amazon's policy of firing people on the spot for talking about unionizing. * Their (former) policy of not operating anywhere where they would end up having to…

Wow. When someone is that much of a prick, they become a one-dimensional stereotype.

The problem with asshole-led corporations is they, surprise, reward assholes. Civilized workplaces make a principled effort to kick out the assholes and find competent, productive people with normal-sized egos that can fit through the hangar doors.

> Also, that guy is a fucking psychopath.

Ahaha. Reminds me of the 6 Sigmas from "30 Rock". The 3 main organizational morale killing personality traits are bullying, depression, and low impact. And the problem is most organizations promote the opposite of each in reverse order, often forgiving bullying and harassment when there is $ignificant impact.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#55

Post by kn0where »

andrewem wrote: post #44
robbiet480 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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-...

It’s weird that the Wall Street Journal doesn’t say what party he’s considering running as. People who know he hired political consultants would also know who they are and thus if those consultants are Republicans or Democrats.

If he runs, it’s definitely as an R.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#56

Post by user_named »

jahewson wrote: post #20
TX81Z wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That's probably a pre requisite

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#57

Post by chef-steph »

pottertheotter wrote: post #47
gausswho wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't like to look askance at alumni of particular employers, but I have had one too many a poor experience from ex-Amazon hired into leadership roles. The above matches my experience. For me, the worst casualty as various lackeys followed arrival (also ex-Amazon) was the choking out of candidness. Second worst was turning the company into a document factory.

Can you elaborate on the document factory part?

Not OP, but have worked in a similar situation run by ex-Amazon leadership. Project leaders focus mainly on writing docs on their "ideas". These docs are then spread around to other project and org leaders. Most of their time is spent reading or commenting on these and planning meetings for feedback. Typically the last people to read these documents are engineers who then have to make sense of and build whatever was laid out in the documents. Many times after all this is done the project is then shelved or engineering shuts it down so it was a waste of time.

Project managers can then point to these documents as promotion material and take credit for "leadership".

Obviously I'm being a bit harsh here and that in no way represents the average - but it is something I've seen too often.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#59

Post by wilsynet »

pottertheotter wrote: post #47
gausswho wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't like to look askance at alumni of particular employers, but I have had one too many a poor experience from ex-Amazon hired into leadership roles. The above matches my experience. For me, the worst casualty as various lackeys followed arrival (also ex-Amazon) was the choking out of candidness. Second worst was turning the company into a document factory.

Can you elaborate on the document factory part?

Both Amazon and Google have document writing cultures. If you want to propose an idea, you write a doc about it.

The value of a doc writing culture is that writing things down encourages rigor and thoughtfulness. Docs can be widely distributed, and you can read it, think about it, and add comments. Exchanging ideas can be asynchronous rather than meeting oriented.

But also it can all get a bit carried away (because these artifacts become an important component to promotion).

I work at Google, which is a doc culture. But I worked most of my career at startups where we never wrote anything down. Overall, I prefer doc cultures. But yes, left to it’s own devices it can seem like you are working at a doc factory.

Re: Flexport CEO resigns a year after joining logistics company

#60

Post by tough »

thenipper wrote: post #7
nickff wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "It’s been a real roller coaster for them. Hopefully it settles down a bit." I don't quite understand what you mean; were they forced to switch each time, was each company 'poaching' from the prior one, did a whole team get up and move twice, or did they get laid off twice?

Forced to switch. When Shopify acquired deliverr they were forced into deliverr’s org. When deliverr was sold to Flexport they had to go with it.

Sounds like a funny movie Acquisitionstrucked
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