The programmer and his woman

"Xiao Wang, come here for a moment. I have something to talk to you about." The boss' voice suddenly rang in the office, breaking the originally peaceful working atmosphere. I looked up at him and saw that his expression was a little serious. My heart couldn't help but tighten. My recent work has indeed not been going smoothly. Various challenges have come one after another, making me feel stressed. Now the boss suddenly came to me, and my intuition told me that this would not be good news.

I walked into my boss' office nervously, trying to look calm. My boss sat behind his desk, looked me straight in the eye, and said, "Xiao Wang, I recently learned about the progress of our product, and it seems that the progress is still not fast enough."

Hearing this, I was eager to explain: "Boss, listen to me, in the past few months, we have indeed encountered some difficulties and challenges..." But before I could finish my words, the boss waved his hand and signaled me to stay calm.

He went on to say, "Xiao Wang, I know you have been working very hard during this period. However, we need to see results. Therefore, the company has decided to hire another product director to take over your job so that you can relax a little."

I was stunned and couldn't believe my ears. I asked, "Boss, are you going to fire me?"

The boss smiled and shook his head, saying, "Of course not, Xiao Wang. I just think you need some time to adjust and relax. Besides, this time we are hiring a senior product director of the largest instant messaging software company in China. His joining is a great opportunity for our company. I believe you can learn a lot from him, which will also be helpful for your career development."

Although my boss said it politely, I knew in my heart that he was not satisfied with my work. This made me feel very frustrated and unwilling. But what surprised me even more was that this time my boss actually poached people from the largest communication software company in China to work in our company. Is this a coincidence? I remember that the company I worked for before went bankrupt because of the application launched by this instant messaging software company, which forced me to look for a new job. Am I going to make the same mistake again this time?

I walked out of my boss' office with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was grateful to my boss for giving me this opportunity to learn and grow; on the other hand, I was worried that I would not be able to adapt to the new working environment and face the dilemma of unemployment again.

A few days later, the company welcomed a new product director, whose arrival filled the entire product department with anticipation. However, surprisingly, he told me clearly that he did not need me as an assistant, because he had brought an assistant with him, and the assistant was about to report to the company the next day, and I was assigned to be the product manager.

Faced with such a change, I quickly adjusted my mindset. I think a product director who comes from a big company must have his own unique insights and strengths. This change may be an opportunity to learn from him. I am also looking forward to how he will solve the work problems I encountered before after his arrival.

However, the development of the matter was beyond my expectation. After the new director arrived, he encountered the same problems I had faced before. But surprisingly, he did not persist in solving the problems like I did, but chose another way - drinking frequently with Lao Gao from the R&D department.

Every night, he would get drunk and then go to the company to work overtime to earn overtime pay. During the day, he would always find a place to sleep and would not be seen for several days in a row. This strange work and rest habit puzzled us product managers, after all, all work now had to be arranged by this new director. But he was nowhere to be seen all day, and everyone in the product department didn't know what to do next.

However, surprisingly, no one felt anxious or dissatisfied. On the contrary, they all seemed relieved because the arrival of the new director allowed everyone to temporarily get rid of the previous difficulties. The R&D department's boss Gao even praised the new director in front of the boss for his youth and potential, which made everyone look at him with new eyes.

Everyone still goes to the meeting room every day, but the place has changed from work to chatting about gossip among colleagues and interesting things in life. Everyone is very satisfied with their current work status and praises the new director.

But I was a little worried. Although the new director's approach satisfied everyone, how should I deal with the work? If I couldn't produce the product, the boss would still blame me. However, the new director's next arrangement shocked me.

He told product managers not to analyze the system anymore, but to just draw the interface every day. He emphasized that there was no need to consider the function implementation and logical relationship, just to draw a beautiful interface. This practice puzzled me very much, because in my opinion, the purpose of product design is to better connect with the R&D department, and what is the point of interface design without considering the logical relationship?

However, although everyone was confused and puzzled by this approach, they still followed the new director's request. After all, he is our leader and we must implement his decisions.

Surprisingly, this interface design method that did not consider logical relationships actually achieved unexpected results. Colleagues in the product department seemed to have regained their confidence, and the interfaces they drew were not only beautiful, but also unique.

However, I still have reservations about this approach. I believe that product design is not just about drawing a beautiful interface. It also needs to consider many factors such as functional implementation, user experience, and market demand. Only by considering these factors comprehensively can we design a truly excellent product. Therefore, I decided to continue to observe and learn the new director's working method to see if he can solve the problems I encountered before.

As the bell of the month slowly rang, we once again welcomed the monthly work summary meeting. However, the atmosphere of this meeting was different from the past, because the host was no longer me, but the newly appointed director. He sat at the head of the conference table, his eyes sharp and full of enthusiasm, like a general who was about to lead the troops to battle.

The new director did not simply review the progress of the work as I did in the past, but systematically listed all the modules that our team was responsible for, and each module brought exciting breakthroughs. He showed these achievements one by one, and the screen showed vivid product interfaces one by one. They were so exquisite and perfect that they made people full of hope as if the product was about to be born.

The discussion between the boss and the new director pushed the meeting to a climax. They had a heated discussion on the interface layout, and every detail was repeatedly scrutinized and polished. From the size of the button to the placement, from the color matching to the font selection, every decision embodied their love and persistence for the product.

The boss is no longer the aloof leader. He actively participates in the discussion, nodding in approval and offering his own insights and suggestions.

Seeing this, my mind can't help but drift back to the days when I first joined the company. At that time, I participated in a meeting with the art director to discuss the color scheme of the picture. I still remember that they argued heatedly over a seemingly insignificant color choice and finally decided on light blue as the main color. At that time, I was confused by such a small discussion and didn't understand why so much time and energy were spent on such a seemingly trivial issue.

However, now when I see what the new director does, I gradually understand the deep meaning. This approach can not only mobilize the boss's enthusiasm for participating in discussions, but also make the boss feel your dedication and hard work in the work. While showing the results, not raising too many difficulties can make the boss trust your ability more and feel that you are a capable person who can take charge and solve problems.

Although he was just doing superficial work, he gave his boss the illusion that he was capable. But if you think about it, it is actually a smart workplace strategy. By carefully showing his efforts and achievements, he can not only gain the favor and trust of his boss, but also make his career path more stable and further.

I couldn't help but reflect on my previous work style. Should I also spend more time and energy on those superficial tasks like these directors? After all, these tasks do seem important and can also let the superiors see our efforts and achievements. However, if we only do some superficial work without really solving problems or promoting business development, then what is the meaning of such work?

At that moment, my heart seemed to be swept by a storm of contradictions, as if it was swallowed by endless darkness. This sudden impact made me a little overwhelmed, and a deep confusion and anxiety entangled my heart like a vine. I thought our product development process should be rigorous and orderly, but what happened next made me dumbfounded and I could hardly believe my eyes.

The product department, a team that has always been known for its meticulousness and professionalism, never expected that without any warning, they would simply process the design prototype and hand it over to the marketing department for promotion. This scene is like an unfinished painting that was hastily hung on the wall of a gallery, waiting for the audience to examine it.

I can't help but start to question, does the difficulty and slow progress in R&D mean that we should give up R&D and push unfinished products to the market? This approach is undoubtedly irresponsible to users and greatly damages the company's reputation. Do we really want to let users use these static interfaces?

I seemed to see the entire company being driven by an inexplicable force and starting to operate at an unprecedented efficiency. Everyone was busy, with excitement and anticipation on their faces. However, this busyness and anticipation made me feel deeply sad and helpless. I thought to myself, if the marketing department really launched this product, how would users use it? Were they just attracted by these beautiful interfaces, and then installed it with great expectations, only to find that they could not use the product properly?

At this moment, I felt that the entire company was trapped in an absurd fantasy. Everyone was immersed in their own roles, busy and excited, as if everything was so real and reasonable. However, I knew clearly that all this was built on an illusory and ethereal fantasy. This fantasy was like a beautiful bubble, although it was colorful, it would burst at the touch of a button.

I stood on the edge of this bubble, watching it grow bigger and more beautiful, but my heart was filled with worry and anxiety. I knew that this bubble would burst sooner or later, and at that time, what kind of difficulties and challenges would the entire company face? I couldn't imagine it, and I didn't want to imagine it. I just hope that we can wake up from this fantasy as soon as possible, face reality, and re-examine our product development and marketing strategies.

I sat in front of my computer, took a deep breath, and prepared to send an email to my former vice president. My fingers danced lightly on the keyboard, and every word hit my heart like a heavy hammer.

“Dear Vice President,

Hello! I am writing this email with deep apologies and regrets. It seems that I can no longer continue to work in this company with your hopes. The recent series of changes in the company, especially the addition of the new product director, have made me have great doubts about the way the company operates.

I have always been a down-to-earth person, and I firmly believe that only through practical efforts and continuous improvement can I bring real value to the company. However, the current corporate environment makes me feel unfamiliar and uneasy. The new way of operation makes me feel as if I am in a dream full of nothingness. What I see is no longer real products and services, but surrounded by gorgeous appearances and empty promises.

I understand that the company needs to continue to develop and innovate, but I cannot accept this lack of practical foundation and neglect of user needs. I always believe that the success of a company is not won by gorgeous packaging and empty promises, but by continuous efforts, in-depth understanding of user needs and high-quality products.

Therefore, after careful consideration, I decided to look for a work environment that is more suitable for me. I believe that there, I can continue my down-to-earth work, bring practical value to the company, and also achieve my own professional development and personal growth.

Once again, I would like to express my apologies and regrets to you, and thank you for your support and guidance in the past. I will always cherish the time I spent in the company and wish the company greater success in the future.

Sincerely,

salute! "

After sending the email, I leaned back in my chair, feeling both relieved and reluctant. I felt relieved because I had finally made a decision and was no longer bound by this illusory corporate environment; I felt reluctant because I had left a team that had once filled me with enthusiasm and expectations. But no matter what, I believed that this was the right choice I made in order to find a more suitable working environment for myself.