How is the conference going? Only factual postings from people who are actually there please.
15 replies (most recent on top)
Same here @1xvv - staff level folks leave, managers stick around.
I will believe that when I see it. My area has lost many people in several RAs but managers do not leave.
" I wonder if that means managers are being laid off wholesale this time"
Well, if 30-70% of sales and tech sales are being cut, certainly a lot of managers will be going along with them.
Managers are much more open about this one, not just whispering secrets to their favorites but talking openly in public. I wonder if that means managers are being laid off wholesale this time and now they feel what we have been feeling for many many years. And for the record the first "RA" I experienced was in 1993. It has been that long.
DO NOT FORGET THIS:
this is FOUR major conferences bundled into one.
1rpl...thanks for your reply. It’s as useful as the clown on Watching IBM who constantly annoys us all with the same thing.
I’m not in Sales, but I’m still nervous. Resume updated and have started actively job hunting. I may not find anything soon in my area, but I don’t want to wait until I HAVE to do it. I’ve got a family to feed and a mortgage to pay, not that Ginni gives a sh!t.
@1rpl - If that's you Dave, you really are a 200% bell-end.
Who let the 10 year old back in? Adults are trying to have a real conversation about real jobs with real consequences for losing said jobs. Maybe when the 10 year old grows up, he'll realize that it's not funny for people to get laid off!
Anyway, yes there's a social part to doing business. But aren't they cutting sales anyway? Unless someone has some inside information of people at THINK not being affected?
@1qnd To be fair, it's not like those useless managers and political flunkies ever do work to begin with. Might as well make them appear useful, I suppose. Meanwhile those of us in the trenches pulling our weight plus the weight of the idiots above us will potentially have our heads roll.
I’m not talking about legitimate sales work. I’m talking about useless managers, political flunkies, and all the people IBM sent so it looks well attended. If you worked at IBM you would understand.
I don’t think you get how a business works/ sh-- gets sold...you need to see your clients and bond with them. Often over drinks. I don’t work for IBM but feel bad for those that do with ongoing cuts and even more snark from fellow ibmers
Thousands of employees are throwing away IBM's money in Las Vegas, and many thousands more are so nervous about the RA they aren't getting any work done. Ginni must be so proud of the company she created.
The twitter posts show very crowded hallways and people seem to be aggravated, some snarky comments about why didn't they use Watson for flow control. Some will say OMG the conference was jammed, but don't forget this is FOUR major conferences bundled into one. In past years the Impact/Interconnect conference alone took over both the Mandalay Bay and MGM. Now it's all at Mandalay, way cut back space-wise, and four conferences, so no, the packed hallways are not an indication of success, only failure.
Great -ndc...glad you’re drinking and living it up while the rest of us are working.
@ndc someone had mentioned getting some upper lines to drink and see if you can talk information out of them. Maybe that's what they're referencing?
It’s fine nothing new . A few snags in day 1 logistics wise but otherwise typical Vegas conference - drink a lot and try to make some money dunno what dirt you’re looking for