I've had another taste of my own mortality, which is always good for me, I'm sure. A good friend and business associate, the guy who has been with me at 10x longer than anyone else and who is really to credit for the business sense and organization that turned us around and made us a really great company, was basically fired by the Corporate Overlords who purchased us and signed a legally binding contract forbidding them from firing him. This has been a fascinating thing to watch, because they're not even hiring a replacement. I would have assumed -- as I'm sure he assumed -- that he was viewed as basically essential to the company. But he's gone, and we're getting along okay without him. Sure, many good things that would have happened had he remained won't happen. But we're not going to fold tomorrow. And the Overlords aren't really evil; they just value short-term profitability over long-term direction right now.
It's weird to see how quickly something like that can happen. A terrific and valuable employee can suddenly become an expensive liability, when the company shifts to a hard focus on short-term profits. I've assumed -- heh, heh -- that I'm also basically essential to the company. For the moment, they've confirmed that they view me that way as well. But I watched how quickly things changed for our old president, and I have a better sense of how readily that could happen to me.
It's frustrating to know that I'm naive about a thousand million things. I guess that's what experience is for. :o)