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Why I Retired From Apple
11–20 of 69 posts
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#12"But if there’s anything I do aspire to, it’s being a writer. ... I’m not vain enough to think it’s my snappy prose that drew the visitors. It was the subject matter." Don (if you're out there reading this), your blog has almost single-handedly returned me to using an RSS reader. Yes, initially this was for your Safari/WebKit war stories, but please stop being so humble. You've won the technical-yet-engaging lottery…
Thank you so much. I am humbled by that, sir. I will take your advice to heart.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#13"Maybe I was just tired. And when you’re responsible for so many people, you owe them more than that. Better to step aside and let others have their turn. So I did." All too often we see managers hold onto jobs and effectively stifle others with poor management, but it's refreshing to see someone think about the good of the company . EDIT: and the good of the people for which he was responsible (thanks nsmartt)
I would hazard a guess that if they were all paid as well as him, they would retire too.
Some of them did. But the decision to retire is not always about the money.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#14It may be harsh to sum up this article in a single word, but I recognise this as "burnout". It's not uncommon, and it affects people in different ways, but is usually accompanied by a (sudden?) drop in ambition.
What you see as 'burnout' I see as closure. Don accomplished pretty much everything he wanted to, and more. Why continue running laps around a familiar track when you could go someplace else?
Closure — that's actually a very good way to put it. I didn't feel burned out. Just tired and complete.
But I was very fortunate to have the means to retire. Many who experience burnout don't have that choice. Which is another reason there's such churn in this business.
As a manager, one thing I always watched for were the signs of burnout. I always said I spent way more time coaching people to pace themselves than to work harder.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#15"Maybe I was just tired. And when you’re responsible for so many people, you owe them more than that. Better to step aside and let others have their turn. So I did." All too often we see managers hold onto jobs and effectively stifle others with poor management, but it's refreshing to see someone think about the good of the company . EDIT: and the good of the people for which he was responsible (thanks nsmartt)
I would hazard a guess that if they were all paid as well as him, they would retire too.
People don't always just work for money.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#16Institutionalizing weekly deadline panic on Sunday night seems like a horrible idea to me. Nothing wrong with passionate people working many hours for what they love per se. But something in me thinks that marginalizing all those people who are good at what they do but like to have a little bit of life outside work can't be good business practice. You can love your job as much as you like, it will never make up for not getting to see the world beyond your office building and the scenery of you daily commute.
Edit: I hope they at least have a vacation policy in place that makes up for this madness.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#17After reading so many "I'm leaving company X because try all suck" posts, this was such a nice read. The author didn't leave because he hated everyone, or because he felt very the business model was evil, or because he was tired of being worked like a dog, he left because e did his part and was done.
While I know it internally, it's always nice to read someone saying, "I did my part, I did it well, and I'm leaving on good terms, with no regrets." This post gives me more hope for myself.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#18before I even got to the part about being a writer, I was reading the post thinking "damn, this guy is a good writer. Smooth, clear, and to the point, while still letting the ideas manifest within the reader." Literary writers can get too engrossed in their prose, I like to think this style comes from a great engineer and designer. No surprise the writer worked with Apple
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#19I really dislike philosophical people. They really ruin my productivity.
Re: Why I Retired From Apple
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
What you see as 'burnout' I see as closure. Don accomplished pretty much everything he wanted to, and more. Why continue running laps around a familiar track when you could go someplace else?
Closure — that's actually a very good way to put it. I didn't feel burned out. Just tired and complete. But I was very fortunate to have the means to retire. Many who experience burnout don't have that choice. Which is another reason there's such churn in this business. As a manager, one thing I always watched for were the signs of burnout. I always said I spent way more time coaching people to pace themselves than t…
I would agree, this is more closure than burnout.
I had the same thing happen to me with sports. I played soccer at a very high level (semi-pro) and although I knew I would never make the pros, I already accomplished what I set out to do. After so many years of working hard and finally getting there, you wonder what else you want to do now you've surpassed your own goals. For me, it was the same thing, I just walked away from the sport. My life as a soccer player was complete and it was time to move on.
I can already tell in 5 years, your mind will never cast doubts over your decision. Few people get to the level you were at and leave without a few doubts in their mind. Kudos to you for leaving with a clear conscious and mind.