I worked at a very hip startup that was once on the move but then had crested and was on the slight decline.
1/

I was running a team of people who did video conferencing. They were really good at it, and I didn't know anything about the technology. One of the tricks I sometimes use in management is to shut up when I don't know anything.
2/
it was IT in a different gear than I'd seen before
e.g. your wiring had to be perfect, there would be decisions by people that required insane costs &
white gloves
3/
a day or two after they announce earnings, they want to do an All Hands where the CEO, CFO and various bigwigs claim credit for the smart work of their teams.
4/
This team runs that conference setup. It's a big deal and a lot of work, and this was the first one I'd run by myself. None of the old leaders
5/
In reality, of course, I didn't run a goddamn thing. C_____ was an expert at running a conference setup and it was going silky smooth. I did press a button that kept the stream from going down. Go me 😊
6/
As the largely conventionally pretty and hip employees walk in, the lights go berserk and they have loud bass heavy music to hype everyone up.
7/
https://t.co/Q8tf0zJYdF
If I recall it right, it was Video Phone by Beyoncé
8/
I get back to my desk after doing sweaty work in my nice clothes, and there's a scathing email from H______. She's an HR woman on the move, and my boss' boss is being asked to account for what's being said in the song.
9/
This is before #metoo, so nothing like that. Just an HR worker on the way up asking questions about sexism in the workplace. I recall thinking it was fair play. So I go to ask C_____ just to have my facts straight.
10/
I bring it up to C_____ and he stares at me blankly.
"That's a playlist we've used for five years."
2009ish checks out.
11/12
I had to write this contortionist both apology, and "say, fuck off with that shit."
12/12

More from Startup

The dirty inside secret most first-time entrepreneurs don't know.

14 tools I use to steal from competitors, and build million-dollar businesses.

Housekeeping note:
Don't do anything that destroys your reputation. Copying what works is a simple & practical strategy, but don't cross any boundaries.

In this thread, I'll show you how to steal your competitors' traffic, product ideas, and customers in a 100% fair way.

1. Steal their social media traffic

Drop your competitors' url in
https://t.co/n4squ8fjHh

It will tell you what % of their web traffic comes from which social media platform

Looks like this


Generally, this traffic will be from ads and not content. To steal their social traffic, you'll need to steal their ad strategy.

If they're getting their traffic from Facebook...

2. Steal their Facebook ads

Go to Facebook Ad Library and find ads that your competitor has been running for 6+ months.

All of these ads are likely profitable https://t.co/bgqtSOvAe2

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