Another Take on "The CEO Buzz."
Nobody Fugazi just wrote an article on Phil Rosedale(Philip Linden)'s announcement regarding his resignation as CEO of Linden Labs. Rosedale's announcement created quite a buzz amongst the SL community - as it should- and the questions emerged. Most of them were inquiries into why "Philip Rosedale is leaving Linden Labs."
Having actually read the report, allow me to say that Philip Linden is NOT, repeat, NOT leaving Linden Labs. What he IS doing is stepping down from his CEO position. He will retain his position as Chairman. Now, just to avoid having Philip Rosedale read what I just wrote, and in a blind fit of misassumption, run and write an announcement on whatever virtual exchange he might use for his nonexistent virtual company, allow me to say it one more time: Philip Linden is stepping down as CEO, but retaining his position as LL Chairman. Oh, and Philip Rosedale isn't Investor Merlin, either.
Frankly, I saw this happening sometime ago. Since I've only been at Second Life since November, "some time ago" puts us at about, oh, January 11th. Nobody Fugazi eluded to the reasons why this might have occurred. Rosedale himself said that it seemed people wanted a business leader rather than a creative visionary. The statement struck me as a bit injured. Philip's earlier quotes promoted SL as limitless. Phil didn't count on the machinations of humanity and our evolutionary drive to pay exorbitant amounts of money to play games we probably won't win. Or to take advantage of opportunities that seem "too good to be true." Virgil said that "Fortune Favors the Bold." David Hannum (not PT Barnum)said that "there's a sucker born every minute." Who's right?
You can find snapshots of Phil schmoozing with the business elites of SL (I smirked while writing that, by the way). Some of those "elities" have proceeded to be virtual counterparts of the real life virtual(fiscally speaking) Enron Corporation. In each snapshot Phil has the look of a proud father seeming to say "these folks are benefiting from my vision!" Not "Hm, I wonder if 89% interest an hour is suspicious."
Creative genius made Second Life, there is no doubt, so I won't besmirch Rosedale's innovation. I will say that Van Gogh didn't sell Van Gogh's paintings (incidentally, my cousin tells me that this is so because Van Gogh is buried in Grant's Tomb...never quite understood that riddle). Creative eccentrists make things like Second Life. Bloodsucking businessmen exploit it. This in turn calls for the retention of the Lestat de Lioncourt of CEOs to stand guard over the creative genuis' vision so he can go on painting happy little trees and the like.
So Philip Rosedale, dear sir, it's not that we don't want a creative visionary to see us into the future. We DO want that. But we want that to happen for us so we can continue taking huge risks with our money for the possibility of receiving a very small return. You know, the American Dream? Guess it's the virtual dream now.
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Good follow up. :-)
I'm digging the way we're having this conversation too, Konner. :-)
You wrote a great quote here:
I want to expand on that. I'll toss out the 'bloodsucking' and 'eccentric' bit. :-)
First, eccentricity is just lunacy with money. If you can afford a psychiatrist, you are eccentric. If you cannot, you're just crazy.
Next, here's how it works:
(1) Someone has an idea. It may be the only good one that they have in their life.
(2) If they have money, they can do it themselves.
(3) If they are crazy rather than eccentric, they need to court money for it to happen. Funding comes into play.
(4) Money comes at a cost. If path 2 is taken and the person is not self-destructive, the path coincides with path 3.
(5) At some point, money and vision hit a balancing point - or so everyone involved hopes. This is where potential of both seems limitless. This is where big decisions happen.
(6) Now we go back to part 1 or die.
Oh, and as a subnote - I think it was Sarah Nerd that told me that Rosedale was taking pictures with everyone, which makes sense. I imagine a lot of people got pictures taken with Sir Philip, but only a few brag about it. It makes one wonder what they lack; if they need to fill some void with a snapshot then you might want to look harder at their business plans. :-)
Second Life Consultant
Thanks. Now click my Google Ads!
I've heard this argument before. Steve Fossett is (or was, since he's legally dead now)an eccentric. The human fly is crazy. I would have liked this argument a lot better were it not always rubbed in my face as to why I couldn't be considered eccentric.
Snerd is probably right where Phil's photo sessions are concerned. If you're the kind of person to go to an SL Convention (I'm not judging), you're gonna want a snapshot with the guy who made it all happen. Kind of like going to the annual "F&*K The labor union conference" and not getting a snapshot with Sarkozy.
Erm...
FYI, telling people to click your ads is actually against the ToS of Google - but since you're obviously being facetious... :-)
and also - traffic matters more than clicks.
Second Life Consultant
Have at it
But if you go anywhere near Danica McKellar then it's on.
Snapshots
I'd much rather have a snapshot with Sarkozy's wife ;)
I think I have one.
Just kidding. :-)
Second Life Consultant
Mitch Kapor
The combination of someone like Philip Rosedale and someone like Mitch Kapor looks on paper like a dream ticket. You have someone with creative genius like Uncle Phil and someone who has been there before like Mitch Kapor, who saw what the killer app viscalc did and then brought Lotus 1-2-3 to the PC.
For some reason, the new frontier requires a third party. Maybe due to the fact that the industry today is a lot different to how it was in the late seventies and early eighties.
This just emphasises the point that the geeks won't inherit the earth.
Getting over the name buzz.
Mitch Kapor's name isn't enough - it never was, it never will be. He did some things that most people today take for granted. If Rosedale is lucky, the same will happen to him.
Honestly, Kapor's shadow being magnified by anyone around is also a part of Linden Lab's problem. When someone like Kapor speaks, big media loses its brain cells - and most bloggers, who only really reblog big media, also lose brain cells. The IQ deficiency then leads to all sorts of problems which I'm pretty sure even Mitch doesn't appreciate at times.
And it isn't just Mitch, really. The problem isn't Mitch, but the problem follows anyone with celebrity around.
I just coined a new term. The papablogzi. :-)
What needs to be done is looking beyond the shadows of Kapor and Rosedale - this isn't about what they want. It really is about what we want.
Second Life Consultant
Brevity
"this isn't about what they want. It really is about what we want."
Way to sum up what I just wrote a whole blog post about! lol! I agree entirely.
Good Riddens!
http://secondlife.typepad.com
Marc Woebegone
Riddance.
Ridden is what a horse is if it lets you ride it.
Second Life Consultant