• Valve, a company without bosses
    41 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;42296714]I think a lot of this cynicism fails to take into account that Valve, despite it's monstrous success, remains a very small company. Most AAA developers have teams of hundreds working on individual titles, and that doesn't take into account outsourcing. I'm looking at you CoD Ghosts. Meanwhile, Valve in it's entirety is, what? 100 strong? And yet they're making games that still have to match higher profile titles visually. That means development takes longer, that's just the way it goes. Really, all they're trying to do is avoid that cycle that game companies seem to go through where they start out with a small core of talent, grow, then end up losing sight of those quirks and strengths that made them strong to begin with. See Bullfrog, Bethesda(somewhat), Bioware. [I]Especially[/I] Bioware.[/QUOTE] 400+ employees, actually.
[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;42295158]She was also an incredibly vindictive person who herself made it quite clear she had an attitude and was hostile to the others around her. So there is also that.[/QUOTE] and you said I spun words around. Even when people of more reason months ago stating there are two sides to a coin, hostility was not among such words. Abrasive does not equal hostility, "I can't work on this because we don't have the skill labor" does not validate hostility. In fact you implied she was hostile to everyone around her is a false accusation, and if the exit papers were not so tight you'd hear a lot more people in interviews mentioning the reality of the company which isn't gold or normal.
Gabe is an oversight of the company, if someone does something stupid he brings it on the table and is generally accepted as a boss/CEO, but being a private company there isn't much point in having a supreme leader. There are cliques everywhere, Valve or not, so if the people don't like you then don't expect to be able to join them. Be likable is all.
[QUOTE=Ithon;42297103]and you said I spun words around. Even when people of more reason months ago stating there are two sides to a coin, hostility was not among such words. Abrasive does not equal hostility, "I can't work on this because we don't have the skill labor" does not validate hostility. In fact you implied she was hostile to everyone around her is a false accusation, and if the exit papers were not so tight you'd hear a lot more people in interviews mentioning the reality of the company which isn't gold or normal.[/QUOTE] Seeing as they are so tight, speculating on the actual reason she left is sort of a silly thing to do, no?
[QUOTE=DudeGuyKT;42294849]Yes, but wasn't there that employee just recently that said that because of this there's "cliques" that exclude people who aren't in it?[/QUOTE] Wasn't she laid off because she was in a department that as a whole got cut and decided to smear valve about it?
[QUOTE=Glitchman;42295651]There's is a lot of cliques in design firms / ad agencies / game studios. It's actually very hypocritical, the ideas around the workplace is that everyone is equal and a part of a great creative team when in reality it's very limited by a few ego cases. (know from multiple jobs in the field)[/QUOTE] and if it wasn't then the teams would probably end up being worse off
[QUOTE=Worldwaker;42297247]Seeing as they are so tight, speculating on the actual reason she left is sort of a silly thing to do, no?[/QUOTE] In the interview which was about the story of getting the AR tech from valve, she mentioned that Gabe Newell stated someone found her abrasive. However also in the interview people on her team were fired before her without a reason why, just to leave within 24 hours and through speculation put pieces together. For my saying can't work on something being abrasive, she also said in the interview, they didn't have a full rounded hardware department and lacked the skilled labor to use the machines needed to pursue certain R&D. You're exactly right things are tightly secret at valve, which if she was openly abrasive about anything it was wanting to be more open with her work in order to get public feedback. Also being tightly secret, yes it's possible hardware division changed and got the people needed to make a steambox or the modular controller. And I will add there are people working very hard at valve, like people who are in R&D of VR in hardware. So whatever I see of there work becomes public I'm happy, if people are upset in the upcoming days, don't blame them.
[QUOTE=Antimuffin;42294882]Valve is a great company with great developers. But the problem with only having veterans and people with experience is that some of them just can have quite an ego. Their method of developing games and working without bosses does have its advantages, but just as the normal economy there are also disadvantages.[/QUOTE] It's a method that suits some better than others. I could never work there, I get extremely spiteful and arrogant when I get close to condescending people.
[QUOTE=DudeGuyKT;42294849]Yes, but wasn't there that employee just recently that said that because of this there's "cliques" that exclude people who aren't in it?[/QUOTE] This. Just because you don't have formally labeled "bosses" doesn't mean there isn't a clear power structure. It's basic human nature: in the absence of authority, certain people are more than eager to promote themselves at the expense of others. Rest assured, if you start at Valve, you'll have people sticking their head into your cubicle and explaining that you need to do shit for them, or you're not going to have a job much longer.
[QUOTE=Reshy;42297346]Wasn't she laid off because she was in a department that as a whole got cut and decided to smear valve about it?[/QUOTE] when it got cut, she was fired on the same day, there wasn't a delay note that Gabe allegedly promised her lots of resources and cool things to work on VR/AR but because a few people out of 400 decided it was dumb, the section was cut this is the downside of a flat management structure. if you don't have a power structure in place, one will always emerge organically, and it probably won't be the best at all
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;42297774]This. Just because you don't have formally labeled "bosses" doesn't mean there isn't a clear power structure. It's basic human nature: in the absence of authority, certain people are more than eager to promote themselves at the expense of others. Rest assured, if you start at Valve, you'll have people sticking their head into your cubicle and explaining that you need to do shit for them, or you're not going to have a job much longer.[/QUOTE] This pretty much. I understand why people who have probably been low on the social totem pole their whole lives love the [I]idea[/I] of this, but its almost guaranteed it doesn't actually work as advertised, and to be honest, nor should it. all chiefs and no indians is terribly inefficient.
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