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A Reflection On Sun Executive Payouts For Failure
With the Oracle/Sun merger finally completing at the end of January, one former Sun worker has taken the time to reflect a bit on the extravagant compensation and golden parachutes that the former executives at Sun are receiving for failing at their jobs. "I think it's fair to say that, for all the miscues that eventually led to its demise, the company created many products and technologies of value along the way, enough so that Oracle thought it was worth it to acquire them and try to keep them going. However, I think that it's equally fair to conclude that, after years of running losses, including about $2 billion in fiscal 2009, so that a buyout was necessary to avoid looming bankruptcy, Sun's executives did nothing to deserve lavish rewards, by any conceivable meaning of the word 'deserve.' But what actually happened is by now a familiar story. [...] And here's a prediction that I feel quite certain of: if, against expectations and my hopes, Ellison drops the ball and things start going south for Oracle, it's the employees who will suffer for it, and he'll be doing just fine."
Why is it that people doing what people do naturally -- looking out for their own interests -- is normal and acceptable when you do it, but evil and wrong when somebody else does it?
Uhm. WTF. The article would have been better if it focused on EITHER divergent views on social liberalism vs conservatism OR the fact that Sun screwed itself repeatedly through bad management yet still somehow found a buyer (who's the bigger fool?).
As it is, the article comes of as an angry, rambling rant flipping between one or the other yet not making a cohesive point - aside from slamming capitalist and conservatives - but hey, it's on the daily KOS, so no great surprise there.
Sun was a company with great tech, at the time. But if it's one thing technologists need to understand - it's not how great your product is, but how well you can a) SELL IT (capitalist dogs!) and b) EVOLVE it - fall behind and instead of going to the great socialist nirvana in the sky you get eaten up by the darwin doggies that took you down.
What happens to sun now is anyone's guess. Oracle's got it's fair shair of WTF and Brilliant! moments, more of the former recently.
be0wulfe
This is because the average person probably isn't thinking much farther ahead than what he'll have for lunch tomorrow.
I'm pretty average and I'm thinking about pizza a couple of days from now. You must be pretty smart, to know so much about average people, and pretty arrogant, to be so wrong.
This is my sig.