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[Marvin [GodfatherofSoul] Bellamy]

This is how the game is played, folks.  Specialists are always 
surrounded by a thick, bureaucratic layer of car salesmen in suits. 
 Look at ANY industry or market powered by people with a specific 
talent.  IT, sports, entertainment, teachers, whatever.  And whatever 
your sales guy tells you about how much he loves the company philosophy, 
he's there because he's a car salesman.  And, he knows your talent is 
worth a ton of cash that he wants a huge bite of.  The specialists get 
so busy and get so accustomed to leaving the car salesmen with the book 
keeping, they don't notice until it's too late that they've turned into 
the auxillary servant to some CEO with ZERO knowledge of the product. 
 And, he's making 10X as much to BS with others of his ilk who've manage 
to usurp the thrones in their own domain.  Look at the model for any 
tech company.  You start out with some engineers with a great idea 
pettling their wares.  By the end, the engineers are those quirky guys 
in the basement with 10 stories of executives, marketers, salesmen, and 
accountants up above.  Okay, so the girls in the legal department are 
eye candy, but...

Don't ask me what the solution is, but somehow techies have to develop 
enough communication skills to not give these schmucks a foothold.  I'm 
sorry if I offend anyone, but IMO the market's dive we're seeing is the 
result of these shysters getting a hold of the reins with no intention 
other than stuffing their pockets with as much cash as they can before 
the wagon goes over the cliff.  Hell, software sales is so removed from 
the actual product nowadays that people like Bill Gates can build 
fortunes selling BS marketing schemes.

Qwest had what, 35 million customers paying at least $30-$50 a month and 
they're going bankrupt?  Why?  Because any CEO with enough "VP of"'s on 
his resume can swing a deal for a $50 million severence package after he 
runs the company into the ground, nevermind what all of his underlings 
get collectively.  AOL buys up prime beef companies and manages to grind 
them into hamburger, and just NOW the media decides to report that 
something looks wrong? This is a rant, but not to say that suits don't 
have a role, but they should be augmenting the business and not running it.

Dustin Decker wrote:

>On Wed, 31 Jul 2002, Kurt Kessler wrote:
>
>>I find it hard to believe that any of these companies
>>ever had problems. Common sense tells you what it
>>takes to make money. When you are head of a company
>>that big, you hire people to do what you tell them to
>>do. When things are going wrong, wouldn't you be
>>concerned? Is it not their job to inform you of such
>>things? When the "brass" is walking away with
>>multi-million dollar severances and options, and
>>everyone else loses 15 years of 401 and stock
>>overnight, it makes you wonder...
>>
>
>Yeah - I just have to wonder in the present sense of Chapter 11 filings 
>whether or not the executive officers aren't willing to "swear they 
>books aren't cooked".  This is something the Bush administration has 
>been pushing a lot lately - to the point we may even see more companies 
>throw in the towel rather than find themselves with their financial 
>pants wrapped around their ankles.
>
>Needless to day - anyone who isn't prepared to swear on their books 
>faces a significant hit in the consumer confidence arena as well.  I 
>think we've finally hit the "shit or get off the pot" moment.
>
>Just my $.02
>Dustin
>