From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id a38ae62c for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 03:23:28 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 7B67EA2216; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 13:23:27 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6C5DCA1F07; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 13:23:04 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 980A6A1F04; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 13:23:01 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (mail.cs.dartmouth.edu [129.170.212.100]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 68942A1F01 for ; Thu, 6 Dec 2018 13:23:00 +1000 (AEST) Received: from tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (tahoe.cs.dartmouth.edu [129.170.212.20]) by mail.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTPS id wB63MwJS030826 (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 bits=256 verify=NO) for ; Wed, 5 Dec 2018 22:22:58 -0500 Received: from tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (8.15.2/8.14.3) with ESMTP id wB63Mwaq025257 for ; Wed, 5 Dec 2018 22:22:58 -0500 Received: (from doug@localhost) by tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) id wB63MwGn025254 for tuhs@tuhs.org; Wed, 5 Dec 2018 22:22:58 -0500 From: Doug McIlroy Message-Id: <201812060322.wB63MwGn025254@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2018 22:22:58 -0500 To: tuhs@tuhs.org User-Agent: Heirloom mailx 12.5 7/5/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: [TUHS] Stories X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" > So how was it that so many smart - and somewhat like minded it seems > people end up there? [At Bell Labs] 1. Bell Labs had a great reputation, though it was not at first known for computing. 2. Research recruiters were researchers themselves, not HR people. 3. Recruiting was for quality hires, not for particular jobs; complementary talent was valued. 4. Whom a candidate met on site was determined after s/he gave a seminar; this promoted good matchups. 5. Researchers decided for themselves what to work on--either self- generated or an interesting problem from elsewhere in the company. 6. If you needed to know something in most any field, you could usually find a willing expert to get you on track to an answer. 7. Annual merit review was collegial. No one lost out because of unlucky draw of a supervisor. 8. Collegiality in fact beat that of any faculty I know. Office doors were always open; new arrivals needed only to do good work, not to chase tenure. This culture grew from the grand original idea of the Labs: R&D for the whole of AT&T funded by the whole of AT&T, with a long time horizon. I joined thinking the Labs was good seasoning for academia. The culture held me for 39 years. The premise was viable in the days of regulated monopoly. It has been greatly watered down since. Doug