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Comment by jgrahamc | Hacker News Reader

Actually this isn't about what it's like to work for Bill Gates, it's about Joel Spolsky and reflected glory.

Yes, but it has one great takeaway quote that isn't self-serving:

> Watching nonprogrammers trying to run software companies is like watching someone who doesn't know how to surf trying to surf. Even if he has great advisers standing on the shore telling him what to do, he still falls off the board again and again. The cult of the M.B.A. likes to believe that you can run organizations that do things that you don't understand. But often, you can't.

This is true for any industry and it's a basic common sense for anyone but a recent MBA graduate without any real-world experience. There's nothing particularly great or insightful about this quote.

Not to veer off into politics, but the Bush administration would seem to be an existence proof that at least some part of your statement is incorrect. (Yes, I realize Bush has an MBA.) I've run into this attitude fairly often, and not just among MBAs.

Not really: the practice of installing CEOs without a lot of industry experience is quite common (see Terry Semel). It might be obvious to you, but not to everyone.

Terry Semel had previous experience managing a large media company, which is what Yahoo wanted to become at the time he was hired.

Sure, but he didn't have experience as a technology executive, and couldn't call "bullshit" on technical claims made by people reporting to him -- which is Joel's argument for why this sort of CEO isn't often a good idea.

Hum... tell that to the non-programmer Steve Jobs (who doesn´t have a MBA either).

Steve is actually quite technical, he just wasn't a world-class prodigy in engineering like Woz was.

Well, it _does_ help to have sociopathic tendencies. BTW did he ever acknowledge that the child he fathered was indeed his daughter? From the movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley" I got the idea he wouldn't even _acknowledge_ his child for years.

Must be great to have a dad like that.

I'd hope that you dont base your entire perception of a person on a movie.

That's a great case-in-point. He spent nearly his whole adult life running Apple, and he knows that company's business inside and out. He hired a Pepsi guy to take over as CEO, and things went poorly.

I find that Joel's essays are always a lot of fun to read. But complaints about his writing, not so much.

I find telling you to SHUT THE FUCK UP a lot of fun.

Joel's essays are just that. Essays. He continues to ignore any and all research in the area and pretends to know what he's doing. If I wanted a bunch of misinformed opinions I could just ask non-programmers.

Research would be great. Would you be so good as to recommend a peer-reviewed study of the efficacy of Bill Gates' management technique?

Meanwhile, anecdotes may be anecdotal but they're still more enjoyable than flamage.

So point out a couple for things where he is wrong, according to research? That would actually be interesting. Also, Joel does quote research results in his essays.

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