I was presenting a tech proposal for a new product and its architecture to our VP. It wasn't a technical presentation (we do docs at Amazon but lets call it presentation), just generic terms here and there which most people can understand. We toned down the language and had ROIs , cost analysis etc etc. Just like how they would want to see it. But, I felt like Zuckerberg at the hearing. So many stupid questions from the VP. I am so shocked that they are where they are without knowing even the basics. Is this common or do they have some other skills which makes them who they are? It was appalling to be honest. He asks dumb questions and even asks us to do something that doesnt make sense whatsoever. My manager says "sure" and has now asked me to do it. Like wtf TC 300K
Sounds just like another day at OCI.
What is oci
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure(OCI)
lol you can smell the naïveté on this post. It’s too genuine to be sarcasm. No bro, they have secret skills you just can’t detect, that’s it!
Since when is ass licking a secret skill?
If you think ass kissing is all VPs do you must be a pretty junior IC.
He made you feel like Zuck - what more do you want?
The fact that you're asking this means you're never going to be VP and yes, you're dumb. It's not a VP's job to know all the details, they are there for relationship building and growing a business for shareholders
I can build relationships better. why am I not a VP?
Why so angry?
Rising up the ladder is mostly about politics and these people excel at that.
It can actually be a good thing if they want to be clear about everything and not make rash judgements. Yes, they have lots or other skills, good decision making being a crucial one. Good decisions require good information.
There is a difference between dumb questions and basic questions to make sure you have done the deep dives - sometimes they use this to test for BS. But yeah it’s a mixed bag of smart and stupid at every level.
Totally. I ask these kind of questions because that kind of stuff can be easily overlooked. It might seem obvious to the person who did the spike / arch work, not not the viewer. Especially if the proposal eventually has to be presented to the VP’s non-technical counterparts
Think of it like this. Teams are down in the valley doing all of the stuff to keep the town running (building houses, road maintenance, etc.). Managers walk up the hill to chat with the Directors, who are on the ridge. They have broader oversight but it's at a distance. They can help with things that multiple towns have in common or with issues between towns on each side of the ridge. VPs are near the top of the mountain. They see dozens of towns and sometimes drive down to meet the locals (you). Their concerns are things like infrastructure (water levels, power lines, do the Mayors get along, how is the county landfill doing, etc.) A VP being so "high on the hill" often means they haven't done Eng work for a while. Tech skills have a half life, and if you aren't coding at least 50% of your week then your skills are in decline.
You guys have tech VPs? 😂
VP material there with big boy analogy
Just like how there are dumb engineers and there are smart engineers, there are smart VPs and there are dumb VPs.
Climbing the corporate ranks is about kissing ass, not actual talent in many cases.
Kissing ass is also a talent... people skill in a way
This is the conundrum. If u r really talented, u won't like kissing ss and hence will remain there. If you are not talented, ur survival depends on kissing up amd hence u will continue to rise. Always works!