Newly Corporate

I work for a small software firm in a booming market. I joined six months ago after quiting a cushy job at a big company to chase the dream. My plan was to get in early, so I can could cash out when they go public. They announced their intent to make an IPO, so I thought I was set. Then just recently, they announced that there would be no IPO. Instead, a company bought us. This series of posts - Acquired! – will be a chronicle of my experience.

Day 1

2:45pm I am not in the office. I am at a customer site, working on an issue. I receive text message from a peer. He instructs me to check my email. The CEO has just sent an “interesting” email.

3:00pm I Check my email. The CEO has announced that we have been acquired by a major software company. He says to read the attached FAQ document for further details, but he forgot to attach it. He also provides a link to a video with him and our new CEO talking about the acquisition. The link is broken. Things are not looking good.

3:15pm I reply to my buddy’s text, asking if this is public information. His reply says it is all over our homepage and theirs. I am sitting right next to a customer (who is also a customer of the big company that just bought us), and now I can tell him what’s up. Of course, they tell me, they predicted this long ago.

4:00pm I get a call from my boss; he tells me that there will be a conference call at 2:00AM Central Time for employees (this must be convenient for someone, somewhere on the planet). He also informed me that I missed the conference call for the general public and investors. He reassures me that I still have a job.

5:00pm I call all my peers, especially those who work at the home office, to get the inside scoop. Nobody knows anything. Everything of substance is a secret. Will we restructure? Can I continue working from my home office? Will we get any kind of additional benefits? Will I get fired? Will I get promoted? Is anyone going to buy our product now that the future is so uncertain? Are things looking good? Should I start looking for a new job?

6:00pm I call a few key persons in my local professional network. I want to start trolling for a backup job just in case I need one. I also find out there are two sales reps for the big company in my town. I email both of them and suggest a meet-n-greet. If I do have to fight for a job, I at least want one or two insiders who might go to bat for me.

7:00pm One of my peers (soon to be a VP) calls me. He is the first to return my call. He has heard there won’t be any restructuring. We are going to keep everyone in place at least through the end of the year. After that, we expect, they will bring in the management consultants and start clearing out the waste. Of course, this is only speculation. He tells me that we will get some stock scheme as an incentive to stay, but it won’t be as good as an IPO. He says the most important thing of the day. He says, “it is time to play the game. Make sure you stay two steps ahead. This is when you need to make smart moves.”

The game is on.

This is part of the Aquired! series.