When Tenure Trumps Tech

ENCRYPTED

TechWatchPH is joining the blind-item bandwagon.

Welcome to Encrypted, a new TechWatchPH section for stories people inside the tech industry keep talking about but somehow never make it to the official press release. No names. No mugshots. Just enough clues to make boardrooms uncomfortable.

For our first Encrypted, a very competent C-level technology executive of a tech company suddenly resigned.

The official reason? The executive supposedly wants out of employment life.

Very peaceful. Very zen.

But several sources told Encrypted there may be a little more behind the corporate enlightenment.

According to sources, the technology executive had become increasingly frustrated with a senior executive who allegedly keeps meddling into technology decisions despite having no real technology or IT background.

Apparently, the senior executive’s strongest technology credential is tenure. And maybe Excel.

The executive rose from the ranks and, over the years, managed to collect several C-level responsibilities like corporate Pokémon. Some even cover highly technical functions normally entrusted to people who, well, actually have technical backgrounds.

Gotta catch ’em all.

Sources told Encrypted that the setup eventually became difficult for the technology executive, with actual expertise allegedly having to compete with seniority, hierarchy and possibly whoever has the biggest title on the organizational chart.

So did the executive really leave because employment life was no longer attractive?

Or did employment life become unattractive because someone else kept trying to become Chief Everything Officer?

We may never know. For now, this one stays Encrypted.