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MySQL CEO Says, “It is dangerous to hire someobody who has too much experience.”
March 28th, 2007 | Posted in Recom. Podcasts, Web 2.0 |
I was listening to a podcast today that featured the CEO of MySQL, Marten Mickos. MySQL is an extremely popular open source relational database, and in this interview Mickos talked about the business model behind open source software. At one point the interviewer asked, “When you’re looking for talent in building this kind of organization . . . how important is it that they believe in the philosophy or are part of the [open source] movement. Does that matter much, or do people learn it when they get here?”
Mickos responded:
They don’t need to know open source, but they need to have an open mind, they need to have a global mindset, and they must be ready to abandon old practices, because the software industry has, over the last twenty years, built some procedures, practices, and principles which just don’t work anymore. So it is dangerous to hire somebody who has too much experience. You need the guys who ask why and ask why not, people who are ready to question things and who are not bound by tradition. . . . You have to have your mind set on the future and not on the past.
Too much experience dangerous? That’s thought-provoking. I’m always hearing people say, “Such and such has 25 years of experience in …” or “Welcome such and such, who has 15 years of experience working in …” For a disruptive business model like open source, too much experience works against your ability to succeed (at least according to Mickos).
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March 29th, 2007 at 3:09 am
My opinion is that the key distinction Mikos makes is that the dangerous employees are those “bound by tradition.” I see this often in tech writing. It seems that writers fall in to two groups: old school and new school. Old school writers aren’t always the ones with the most years of experience, but rather are those bound by old writer traditions like dedication to specific tools, style and format are tied to content development, and are often resistant to change when it comes to how he or she does her job. Alternately, the writers from the new school can be rookies or seasoned vetrans. Their best characteristic is that they are open to change and are always trying to think of better ways to do things and improve the situation at the company where they are currently employed.
March 29th, 2007 at 4:22 am
There has always been a fear of old people. Old people have more experience, including experience in buby-trapping the young-and-the-smart.
and haven’t found a way to tackle this, yet.
I am growing into this niche (= getting older
March 29th, 2007 at 7:08 am
Dan,
Your classification of old school and new school writers seems right on, and particularly true for technical writers. Sometimes people use the Kiersey temperament test to group these two camps into “Guardians” and “Innovators.” Guardians are resistant to change; innovators embrace it and freely break with tradition.
The discussion about how too much experience or tradition can cripple learning reminds me of some classic quotes about unlearning being the first step in learning:
“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” — Gloria Steinem
“The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” — Thoreau
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” –Alvin Toffler
March 31st, 2007 at 11:44 pm
[...] for success. His advice contrasts a bit with that of the MySQL CEO, Marten Mickos, who says “It is dangerous to hire someone who has too much experience.” In Schmidt’s view, the more “at-bats” (experiences) you have, the more [...]
April 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
[...] least two major CEOs (of MySpace and MySQL) both caution that people with experience in an outdated marketplace may be at a disadvantage today. A successful [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Two Major CEOs Warn About the Value of Experience At least two major CEOs (of MySpace and MySQL) bothcautionthat people with experience in an outdated marketplace may be at a disadvantage today. A successful business strategy in 1970 probably doesn’t apply to 2007’s marketplace, where open source technologies, globalization, search engine optimization,
June 26th, 2008 at 7:30 am
[...] This myth is turning into my pet peeve. How many bios have you seen that begin, “Joe has 15 years of experience …” or “Kate has over 20 years of experience as a technical writer….” Experience means nothing unless learning is taking place. I can go to my same job for 15 years, do the exact same tasks, use the exact same tools, never taking any creative risks or moving into new territory, just doing what I’m told, or what I’ve read, for my entire life. The pace of learning can be compressed into a very short time period, or it can drawn out over a life time. The time (years of experience) does not matter as much as the learning that takes place. (See this related post, MySQL CEO Says, “It is dangerous to hire someone with too much experience.”) [...]