Comment by gnicholas
2 years ago
> Our singular focus means no distraction by management overhead or product cycles, and our business model means safety, security, and progress are all insulated from short-term commercial pressures.
Can someone explain how their singular focus means they won't have product cycles or management overhead?
Don't hire anyone who is a certified scrum master or has an MBA and you tend to be able to get a lot done.
This would work for very small companies...but I'm not sure how one can avoid product cycles forever, even without scrum masters and the like. More to the point, how can you make a good product without something approximating product cycles?
Jane street did it for a long time. They are quite large now and only recently started bringing in program managers and the like.
2 replies →
That's not actually enough. You also very carefully need to avoid the Blub Paradox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieqsL5NkS6I
Product cycles – we need to launch feature X by arbitrary date Y, and need to make compromises to do so.
Management overhead – product managers, project managers, several layers of engineering managers, directors, VPs...all of whom have their own dreams and agendas and conflicting priorities.
A well funded pure research team can cut through all of this and achieve a ton. If it is actually run that way, of course. Management politics ultimately has a way of creeping into every organization.