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Help wanted: CTO at Warner Music.
Gill_Bates writes "It looks like Warner music group are looking for a CTO. I'm intrigued by the sentence that reads "Builds prototypes and evaluates alternatives for on-line music delivery, P2P warfare, copy protection, etc." " How many job descriptions include the phrase "Warfare"?
"How many job descriptions include the phrase "Warfare"?"
If Donald Rumsfield is your boss, the answer would be "All of them."
God this is entertaining entertainment.I have noticed at least two tv ad campaigns that feature consumers downloading and burning music. Implying it is a cool and totally normal thing to do. I think the majors are fighting a war they have already lost.
"Don't Follow Leaders." Bob Dylan
Not many companies would put 'warfare' in a job descriptions firstly because few are in a mindset that they at war (i.e. the goal is to destroy, not that the goal is to make profit by selling goods), and secondly because not many companies can get away with it. People would think Coca-Cola completely daft if they asked for a CTO to help shut down Pepsi's website. Now mind you, pretty much everyone admits that Pepsi's actions are more or less legal. That, however, doesn't make it any less excusible because vigalantism is supposidly illegal. That's my 2*10^-2*dollars.
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Crudely Drawn Games
How about some guerilla action here?
Wouldn't it be fun to apply for this job, and once you're in the interview process, begin espousing pro-P2P views. What if, one after the other, these guys had to confront a parade of rabid, file-sharing geeks with CTO-level qualifications?
Even better, *don't* mention your views until after you've accepted the job. Then work to sabotage Warner's "P2P warfare" efforts. Yeah, that's the ticket.
There's probably enough of you unemployed CTO's out there - who've undoubtedly spent your idle days using Kazaa - to pull of this Ken Kesey-style prank.
C'mon, baby, kiss The King.
According to Monster.com, 335 job descriptoins include the phrase "Warfare". You can hold such captivating jobs as:
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At this point, Warner can do one of two things to survive: (1) change their business model, or (2) "go to war" against the many innovations that are making their business model obsolete. So it doesn't surprise me that they use the term "warfare".
It would appear that Warner is not capable of significant change. And that's easy to understand - Warner is a very old company, stuck in it's way, and hasn't had any ground-shaking innovation in the past 50 years. When you feel like crap, it's more satisfying to "go to war" than to intellegently address a serious issue.
It's kind of like Apple in the early 80's. Apple could have stuck with the comfortable Apple II line, or change. Apple changed and propelled the entire marketplace forward.
It's like IBM in the 90's... it could continue to be a big-iron shop, or change. It changed. IBM is much more of a service oriented company, embrassing the likes of Unix, Linux, and Java. They leveraged their former glory with new innovations.
But remember, like them or not, Apple and IBM have ALWAYS been innovators. Warner is more like US Steel in the 80's. US Steel could have continued to be an old-school steel producer, or change to react to new steel producing innovations happening overseas. US Steel decided to stay the course, and the steel industry in the USA is still plumetting and out-of-control.
Warner has chosen the path of US Steel.
If you blog it...
Umm, what I read wasn't P2P warfare.. I read this:
"... evaluates alternatives for on-line music delivery, P2P warfare, copy protection, etc."
later I read:
"Analyzes all industry wide technological developments and initiatives related to music and music distribution in an effort to help company sustain its competitive advantage in the music technology marketplace."
Alternatives to P2P warfare. I think they realise its just not cost-effective to have a bunch of people sitting around trying to hack everyone who's running KaZaa.
Looks to me like they want someone to come up with realistic solutions and strategies that will work in the real world. Seems they want to 'Adapt or Die'.
"Requirements
A college degree or equivalent experience is required in engineering, computer science. Specific knowledge and experience in new media and new technologies is required."
Purely speculation: Their old CTO probably favored the old-school 'sue em all' approach, that's probably why he's lining up for food stamps, and why the particular wording of the job offer. Looks like they want a new direction, not to just bump another talking head into the post.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Insofar as slashdotism is the unfettered persuit of self interest it is libertarian.
Libertarianism is not "unfettered" pursuit of self interest, it's the "fair" pursuit of self interest where everyone has a level playing field. Of course, "level playing field" is a loaded statement, since many people believe that the government should "level" the field through a lot of artificial means. But that's a debate for another day. I will say this: contrary to popular opinion, Libertarians are NOT for monopolies, and most support action where it's warranted. [aside: probably few think Microsoft is warranted, and I would probably agree]
Slashdotism often wants to take from the producers of society and give it to everyone else. That's socialism.
The problem is that the essence of libertariaism is the rejection of all social obligations.
Once again, although I don't subscribe to Libertarian philosphy in all its "beauty", I have to defend them on this. Libertarians believe very strongly in social obligations -- through neighbor to neighbor obligations, not government to neighbor. The government forcibly taking from one person to give to another breeds resentment in the takee, and the faceless nature of it breeds dependency on the taker. Not to mention the extreme inefficiency. For these reasons, charity should be done voluntarily and locally.
Slashdotism is all about community
To some extent; OSS is often about community. But don't fool yourself that stealing music, software or patents is about community. That's about blatent "gimme gimme gimme for free".
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
"Warner Music is cool. Wait... are they part of the RIAA? Argh"
Exactly.
Ever heard of a decoy? Someone to take the anger of consumers, someone who isn't recognisably the same as the Warner Music you might be considering buying a CD from?
Do the truth a favour: next time you want to critisize the RIAA, pick one of their member companies as your target instead.
"And Warner Brothers, who represent the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, are campaigning to make it legal to sabotage your computer in the name of 'compliance'"