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I should have spotted it but didn't: They took me out skiing one day between interviews (they were courting me pretty hard, and good snow was a selling point

I should have spotted it but didn't: They took me out skiing one day between interviews (they were courting me pretty hard, and good snow was a selling point for the region) and I met the CEO for the first time on the slopes. He wore a full motorcycle-style helmet with a mirrored face visor which he refused to open; it was like talking to a member of Daft Punk. It had fake hologram bullet-holes on it. More importantly, he skied like an asshole: cutting people off, sudden stops or changes in direction without checking if anyone else was coming, cutting ahead in the lift line, stopping to readjust his gloves or whatever directly in the lift exit ramp, shouting at people who he felt were in his way -- just totally self-absorbed and borderline dangerous. It turned out to match his management style 1000%.

yogurthewise 3y ago
Before you started talking about how he skied like an asshole. I was thinking, you where being interviewed by The Stig lmao
nameless912 3y ago
My last CEO (healthcare startup) told me during my interview with them "but you don't look autistic!" and that should have been the end of the conversation there. When people show you who they are, believe them and all that.
- sophyphreak 3y ago
  More people should do this! One time I advised people to out themselves in interviews--there are literal empirical reasons to do this--and I cannot describe how chewed out I got. Normalize neurodivergence!
  - nameless912 3y ago
    THANK YOU. I make it a priority to introduce myself, and my disability, during my first 1:1 with every manager I have; it makes a huge difference. The conversation usually goes like: - I am autistic - I don't need any particular accommodations - I will attempt to overcommunicate what I'm doing so that I can get your help if I rabbit hole on something (one of my common tendencies) - I tend to need mental health days slightly more often than usual - I will tell people I work with when I'm comfortable doing so, but this isn't a secret and don't feel bad if you accidentally out me. I've never had a manager be anything but extremely appreciative to receive this context. Normalize talking about your needs, even if you don't have a diagnosed neurodivergence!
- paulddraper 3y ago
  ....what was the lead up to that statement? "I'm autistic" "Oh, you don't seem autistic"
  - boringalterego 3y ago
    "Hi autistic, I'm dad. " I've had that answer before... That was a fun but volatile place to work for a summer internship.
  - willcipriano 3y ago
    "Neither do you brother, could've fooled me"
  - nameless912 3y ago
    So the story here is that the CEO's brother is Autistic, and was one of the major inspirations for the company. Being "out" about my disability, I thought it was really cool at the time and mentioned that I'm Autistic, and seeing her embrace her brother as part of the core mission of the company was inspiring.
    - nvm0n2 3y ago
      Like in your other story, the response you got is actually pretty reasonable and you seem to be slightly out of step with what other people are thinking here. The fashion for high functioning, highly articulate individuals calling themselves "autistic" is relatively new. To the vast majority of people the word autistic means severe disability that requires constant care, involves repetitive stimming motions and often is directly visible via an abnormal facial structure. In this conventional usage of the term autistic people don't turn up to job interviews and say "Oh your brother is autistic, cool that it inspired you, I'm autistic too!" because they don't turn up to job interviews at all. Depending on how severe her brother's condition is she may well have been quietly offended that you were trying to pass yourself off as having a similar problem.
      - taurath 3y ago
        > The fashion for high functioning, highly articulate individuals calling themselves "autistic" is relatively new It’s a spectrum, and you don’t know the struggles of the person you’re replying to. Just because someone can mask or play off as high functioning doesn’t mean it’s not a struggle, especially with people making flippant remarks like this - in fact one of the struggles that keep people from being continually employed is that accommodations aren’t taken seriously because people assume that a working mask means they’re trying to make up excuses. Your statement that the “vast majority of people” only equate it with only the most severe disability is based on… what? Almost everyone I know especially in tech have worked with someone on the spectrum.
- yieldcrv 3y ago
  why aren't their positive traits that you see 99% of the time “who they really are” just a question about the phrase, not this particular person how does this give any predictive insight aside from you thinking they're hiding the rest of the time
  - nameless912 3y ago
    In my experience, people who are dicks once in an environment where it was totally uncalled for are often hiding much more under the surface. It's like the old adage - one cockroach on the floor equals a hundred in the wall.
natsucks 3y ago
hilarious.
willcipriano 3y ago
> mirrored face visor which he refused to open > he skied like an asshole: cutting people off, sudden stops or changes It sounds like Mr. Bean was mistaken as a CEO and was just rolling with it.
latchkey 3y ago
That's almost worth naming names, just to prevent anyone else from suffering a similar fate. Plus, I'm really curious who it was.
- outsidetheparty 3y ago
  Ha! Sorry. This was decades ago, anyway. Right after the sort-of-botched IPO he drove off in his shiny new Ferrari never to be seen again (like, seriously, that exit is the last mention I can find of him online. He made out much better than the employees, I’ll tell you that much)
  - latchkey 3y ago
    > He made out much better than the employees, I’ll tell you that much They always do.

yogurthewise 3y ago

Before you started talking about how he skied like an asshole. I was thinking, you where being interviewed by The Stig lmao

nameless912 3y ago

My last CEO (healthcare startup) told me during my interview with them "but you don't look autistic!" and that should have been the end of the conversation there. When people show you who they are, believe them and all that.

sophyphreak 3y ago
More people should do this! One time I advised people to out themselves in interviews--there are literal empirical reasons to do this--and I cannot describe how chewed out I got. Normalize neurodivergence!
- nameless912 3y ago
  THANK YOU. I make it a priority to introduce myself, and my disability, during my first 1:1 with every manager I have; it makes a huge difference. The conversation usually goes like: - I am autistic - I don't need any particular accommodations - I will attempt to overcommunicate what I'm doing so that I can get your help if I rabbit hole on something (one of my common tendencies) - I tend to need mental health days slightly more often than usual - I will tell people I work with when I'm comfortable doing so, but this isn't a secret and don't feel bad if you accidentally out me. I've never had a manager be anything but extremely appreciative to receive this context. Normalize talking about your needs, even if you don't have a diagnosed neurodivergence!
paulddraper 3y ago
....what was the lead up to that statement? "I'm autistic" "Oh, you don't seem autistic"
- boringalterego 3y ago
  "Hi autistic, I'm dad. " I've had that answer before... That was a fun but volatile place to work for a summer internship.
- willcipriano 3y ago
  "Neither do you brother, could've fooled me"
- nameless912 3y ago
  So the story here is that the CEO's brother is Autistic, and was one of the major inspirations for the company. Being "out" about my disability, I thought it was really cool at the time and mentioned that I'm Autistic, and seeing her embrace her brother as part of the core mission of the company was inspiring.
  - nvm0n2 3y ago
    Like in your other story, the response you got is actually pretty reasonable and you seem to be slightly out of step with what other people are thinking here. The fashion for high functioning, highly articulate individuals calling themselves "autistic" is relatively new. To the vast majority of people the word autistic means severe disability that requires constant care, involves repetitive stimming motions and often is directly visible via an abnormal facial structure. In this conventional usage of the term autistic people don't turn up to job interviews and say "Oh your brother is autistic, cool that it inspired you, I'm autistic too!" because they don't turn up to job interviews at all. Depending on how severe her brother's condition is she may well have been quietly offended that you were trying to pass yourself off as having a similar problem.
    - taurath 3y ago
      > The fashion for high functioning, highly articulate individuals calling themselves "autistic" is relatively new It’s a spectrum, and you don’t know the struggles of the person you’re replying to. Just because someone can mask or play off as high functioning doesn’t mean it’s not a struggle, especially with people making flippant remarks like this - in fact one of the struggles that keep people from being continually employed is that accommodations aren’t taken seriously because people assume that a working mask means they’re trying to make up excuses. Your statement that the “vast majority of people” only equate it with only the most severe disability is based on… what? Almost everyone I know especially in tech have worked with someone on the spectrum.
yieldcrv 3y ago
why aren't their positive traits that you see 99% of the time “who they really are” just a question about the phrase, not this particular person how does this give any predictive insight aside from you thinking they're hiding the rest of the time
- nameless912 3y ago
  In my experience, people who are dicks once in an environment where it was totally uncalled for are often hiding much more under the surface. It's like the old adage - one cockroach on the floor equals a hundred in the wall.

natsucks 3y ago

hilarious.

willcipriano 3y ago

> mirrored face visor which he refused to open > he skied like an asshole: cutting people off, sudden stops or changes It sounds like Mr. Bean was mistaken as a CEO and was just rolling with it.

latchkey 3y ago

That's almost worth naming names, just to prevent anyone else from suffering a similar fate. Plus, I'm really curious who it was.

outsidetheparty 3y ago
Ha! Sorry. This was decades ago, anyway. Right after the sort-of-botched IPO he drove off in his shiny new Ferrari never to be seen again (like, seriously, that exit is the last mention I can find of him online. He made out much better than the employees, I’ll tell you that much)
- latchkey 3y ago
  > He made out much better than the employees, I’ll tell you that much They always do.