"Jean-Louis wants to see you in his office." My boss Eagle Burns' bald head disappeared from the door to my office. Something about his tone

Software Design: Tidy First?

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2024-12-27 17:30:06

"Jean-Louis wants to see you in his office." My boss Eagle Burns' bald head disappeared from the door to my office. Something about his tone suggested that righteous indignation, which I had been nursing for several days, was not the right attitude to pack for my trip. I started getting scared.

Jean-Louis Gassée was head of engineering. He had a reputation as a fire-eater, someone who chewed fools up and spit them out. I had been foolish, it suddenly occurred to me. Do the math.

I was a young, cocky engineer. I was sure I knew better than anyone what needed to be done. When a decision came down that I disagreed with, I shot off an email to JLG that made it clear just how stupid the decision was. A day later, I was summoned.

JLG's office was on the same floor as mine, but I had never approached the sanctum. He was at least four levels up from me in hierarchy. Rumor had it that decorating his office had cost $100K, which was a fortune since everybody else was stuffed in cubes.

When his admin passed me in, though, JLG was avuncular. "I read your message. I'd like you to think about it from my perspective for a moment. What am I going to do if I agree with you?"