I guess it's that time of year again. I learned last week that the company that acquired my employer a little over a year ago has itself been acquired. And all that that implies.
Right now, I'm enjoying the rudderless feeling that comes with not knowing whether or not I'm going to be one of the people who receives a job offer from the new owners. I guess I'm not overly concerned, since the buyer keeps saying, “expansion, not consolidation”; but I, along with my mortgage lender, will be a lot happier once I have an offer in hand. Meanwhile, it's like a ghost town around the office as many try to get in under the wire before the acquisition transaction closes and they lose unused vacation carried over from last year.
It's eerie.
The good news, assuming that I get an offer, is that our new owner is a much larger company employing tens of thousands of developers in lots of locations world wide. We're getting very little specific information from them yet, but from the provided FAQs and what we've been able to dig up by googling, it sounds like a positive change. Their dress code is relaxed, they're agreeable to employees working from home a couple days a week, and their medical plan is rumored to be much better than the one we have now. They state in their press release that they're planning to [*gasp*] pour money into our R&D right away, and they even provide educational reimbursement for courses applicable to our jobs. This in contrast to the current company, which was extremely frugal and whose CEO liked to brag that he knew nothing about software development.
I'm cautiously optimistic, although I said the same thing when we were bought this last time. Time will tell, but I have to get that letter offering me continued employment before I can stick around to find out. The letter that will tell me my fate is supposed to arrive around July 17. Fingers and prayer beads crossed.
8 comments:
I will definitely say a prayer for you, Foo. Good luck.
Thanks, Lou. Word has it that we're supposed to receive our job offer or letter of termination on July 17. So the worst of it is the suspense.
...unless the worst of it is that I get fired.
Gosh, one would think you work in the oil bidness! My wife and I have been through four of these merger things between us, and I'm hard pressed to think of something that's less fun (OK, I've had kidney stones, and that qualifies, but only because of the acuteness of the pain).
Consider yourself added to the prayer list.
Crossing fingers, Champ, Scout, Trooper, Buckaroo...
And all that that implies.
Hey, are you going to work for the government now?
We'll keep you in our prayers, Foo.
Man. That's a lot of buyouts!
Hopefully, you'll get a great retention bonus!
Add ours to the list of prayers you are getting. Hang in there!
@eric: no, not the oil biz, but there certainly are some slick characters.
@kent: I'd thank you for playing, but the truth is that my invocation of Iron Giant was, if not accidental, at least subconscious. Which reminds me that I have an Amazon.com gift certificate I've been hoarding. I feel a sudden compelling need to replace my VHS copy of Iron Giant with a DVD.
Thanks to all of you for the prayers. Nine days 'til I know my fate.
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