Administrative Irony

I used to work for a company, an internet startup. I was a contractor before the company had launched and then became its first hire. I worked for them even before leaving college, and when I graudated, they paid my expenses to move to California. In the very beginning, we had no offices, but worked from home, and when we all needed to meet together, met at my apartment because it was centrally located.

Then we got offices, and we got bigger, but we never found our stride. We grew, but the pace was uneven and the leadership kept plans to themselves until the last minute when they needed something done.

Eventually, much of the original cast were pushed out and leadership brought in new blood who hadn't suffered through the start-up process. Including me. Then the company that was financing the startup got purchased by a major company and they got a new name, their old name being sold to Microsoft who used it for awhile for a product but has already all but abandoned it, no longer selling the product.

But the company has plugged on, moving to better offices, getting more mainstream exposure (even appearing on news.google.com fairly regularly). I still think the design never quite made it. We had an Art School artist-artist (still a good friend of mine) when we needed a Community College production artist, so he felt stiffled and never really got to do stuff as exciting as he wanted to. And they've never really improved on it, just making changes as needed to reflect a change in navigation and offerings. Sure, maybe new colors, but never a pop, never a splash.

All this to say that I've been gone since April 1998 and I looked on their staff list and the only person who is stil there from when I was there is their Office Manager. (She answered phones, greeted walk-ins, kept the supply closet stocked and circled things in the Hollywood Reporter and Variety that he should care about, to save him time.)

I've been at my current job since February 2001 (as a volunteer and a contractor) and I've seen at least 10 receptionists come and go, some promoted out, but many, just leaving. And that doesn't include the plethora of week-long or month-long temporary receptionists.