

In 1993 Autodesk almost died - stefanobernardi
http://blog.dustincurtis.com/in-1993-autodesk-almost-died

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kls
I have been through it all, at two companies I was at early on in my career,
the executive team lied to the employees until the day the doors closed and
those who stuck around did not get their last weeks pay or severance. I have
also been at a company that handled the matter just like Autodesk did.
Basically telling everyone we are in the shit, if you want to leave now is the
time to do so, but if you stick around and we succeed the rewards will be
great. They made sure everyone knew when we where out of capital and that the
doors would be closing on that day. I was amazed at the effect this had, the
rats left the ship almost immediately when the "whats in it for me" was gone.
This lifted some of the financial burden on the company and ended up giving
the "doers" more runway. We ended up pivoting the product and selling the tech
to a customer that made it an in house product. While it was not riches,
fortune and adventure, all the stuck it out did receive far more than their
pay and offers where extended for employment at the company that bought the
tech. The moral is that I was surprised to see the best of the best stick it
out, they did so because they know they could get a new job tomorrow and where
unconcerned with the prospect of their employment ending, many of us felt
secure in that fact that we knew when that end would come and could time our
exit. Conversely at the other two companies I saw the talent leaving as soon
as their was a hint as to the writing being on the wall. When you lie to
people you establish a relationship where their is no loyalty and in a
situation like a company on the ropes loyalty can mean the difference between
survival and bankruptcy court.

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oscardelben
> June 21, 1983

