Steve pointed out this engaging story about a skunkworks team that pulled it off. A couple of guys working for nothing created a graphic calculator that shipped out on 20 million PowerMacs ... all without permission. Anyone with kids and a maths teacher will know what this means (I don't!).
Some of the world's best products have been created this way, by developers who had the guts to stick it out when the support was pulled from them. Conviction is a powerful thing, and it's even better when it's right.
Still, conviction's just as flakey as any other powerful thing, like salaries, office space, clients and a management structure. I've participated in skunworks, seen them done on corporations, and even had them performed on me. For the most part, in my experience, they are hit and miss. Most skunkworks fail, lose the boss's money, and the programmers dust themselves off and walk away without realising the damage they've done.
But sometimes there is a spark of brilliance lurking in there. The trick is in allowing the spark to light, but reducing the burn out when the spark catches other things alight. Generally, when I come across a skunkworks, I start out with "let's discuss this over a pint..." as a way to detune the politics and up-tune the entrepreneurial spirit.
Posted by iang at December 22, 2004 09:37 AM | TrackBackThis is a great story of how failed the American Corporate process has developed into a top heavy structure that rules with fear. Sorry to say that gifted talented folks that design and invent software might consider starting a new company. It is the gray matter that matters not the green. It is really hard to say this these days since my own downward spiral has created financial havoc. Since I'm not sitting in an over funded startup of my own what better time to cheer on the effort of those wishing to continue. Besirkers fought to the death and today is a good day to die. Get besirk go crazy and have a passion why not.
Posted by: Jim Nesfield at December 22, 2004 11:20 PM