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At least it wasn't Oracle

chrisshort.net

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Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#11

Post by mindcrime »

zeveb wrote: post #8

> There were no folks reaching out from IBM saying, “Psst. Hey, man. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! GO GET HELP!” That doesn't mean that there aren't folks who feel that way. There could, for example, be people within IBM afraid to speak out, even privately. There could also be people who have already left IBM who felt that way prior to leaving.

Most of who's left at IBM are either:

A. "lifers" who are biding their time until retirement and aren't interested in rocking the boat, or doing anything to make noise. They want to come in, do their time, go home and go fishing... lather, rinse, repeat.

B. New grads who have no clue what they have walked into because they haven't worked anywhere else for comparison and haven't been at IBM long enough to realize how dysfunctional they are.

C. contractors who really don't give a f%!# as long as their paychecks clear.

None would be particularly motivated to reach out to the people of an acquisition and offer any guidance.

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#12

Post by gnufied »

tome wrote: post #7

> after some consideration, I’ve decided to share my thoughts as a narrative timeline. Trust me when say that I have given this format considerable thought. It is likely the safest way (regulatory-wise) to deliver my thoughts on the topic. Does anyone have any idea what regulations might impinge on Chris's choice of format for sharing his thoughts?

I think - the general guidance is, as long as his blog post does not include any information that isn't already public he is free to share his thoughts.

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#13

Post by gnulinux »

Insanity wrote: post #4

Red hat always seemed like a fun company to work for to me. I'm not sure how my opinion of that will change now IBM is holding the ropes.

Red Hat was probably my top company that I ever wanted to work in, but this time around couldn't find good open positions so joined another company (only a few months ago). I feel blessed because I'd probably feel really bad if I joined RedHat and then it suddenly became IBM. Now, next time around (in a few years) I'll know more about this whole IBM acquisition deal, and if RedHat is still a good company to work in, I can make an informed decision.

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#14

Post by tokai »

zeveb wrote: post #8

> There were no folks reaching out from IBM saying, “Psst. Hey, man. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! GO GET HELP!” That doesn't mean that there aren't folks who feel that way. There could, for example, be people within IBM afraid to speak out, even privately. There could also be people who have already left IBM who felt that way prior to leaving.

I thought the same. I guess he reached the stage of bargaining around that time.

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#17

Post by cakes »

duxup wrote: post #9
apohn wrote: post #2

I've worked for companies that got acquired and also acquired other companies. Year 1 is usually nothing and things stay the same unless there is some serious fat that needed trimming. The interesting years are 2 and 3. That's when the parent company tries to optimize things (e.g. streamline the sales force), create synergies, etc and you start seeing the changes. Depending on where you are in the acquired company, i…

I think it depends on where you are in the company. For some areas change is immediate, others much slower.

and also what you work on.

I've been through it working on released and unreleased projects and how things are handled changes based on that

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#18

Post by rabidonrails »

tome wrote: post #7

> after some consideration, I’ve decided to share my thoughts as a narrative timeline. Trust me when say that I have given this format considerable thought. It is likely the safest way (regulatory-wise) to deliver my thoughts on the topic. Does anyone have any idea what regulations might impinge on Chris's choice of format for sharing his thoughts?

perhaps since IBM is a public company and he's giving guidance?

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#19

Post by gutnor »

apohn wrote: post #2

I've worked for companies that got acquired and also acquired other companies. Year 1 is usually nothing and things stay the same unless there is some serious fat that needed trimming. The interesting years are 2 and 3. That's when the parent company tries to optimize things (e.g. streamline the sales force), create synergies, etc and you start seeing the changes. Depending on where you are in the acquired company, i…

> The interesting years are 2 and 3.

Indeed, after all what would be the point of going through the trouble of acquiring a company if major changes weren't coming ? If you don't need something special, there is a myriad of other option from simple client account to investment or the various partnership level, including shared owned subsidiary for R&D/other.

Re: At least it wasn't Oracle

#20

Post by DonHopkins »

That's the opposite of what I thought when Oracle bought Sun.

Q: What do you get when you cross IBM and Apple?

A: IBM

On the bright side, now RedHat employees can flash their new IBM business cards at International Brotherhood of Magicians shows in Las Vegas to get in for free, thanks to the terms of a trademark infringement lawsuit settlement from decades ago.

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