J.P. Morgan -- We're there!

I was a bit concerned about how I'd handle the deluge of inquiries about the print edition -- the one, I remind you, with the absolutely free glossary. But so far it's zero and counting. Nobody even asked what the price was.

I should autograph it, maybe?

The same correspondent quoted previously went on to add: "Anyway, I picked up the story again. But I don't think it was a good idea to bring religion and common sense into play there. Far too cryptic and too easy to take offense to, and have them wonder what they were paying you for."

This refers to the line in my "gap analysis": "Thus does religion overcome common sense."

My first reaction was: come on, it's obvious from context that the "religion" referred to is the BCL team's zealous faith in revealed principles of software that don't make sense. It never occurred to me someone might read that as a slight against religion in general. But on reflection, the fellow has a point. The phrasing was not felicitous and a determined misreading was feasible. But I mention this only in passing. There was no indication at Morgan that it had any bearing on events there.

Surveying the Morgan scene at the time it was clear: the "proper channels" would not do. You will recall CIO Peter Miller's non-response when I'd approached him earlier about the realities relating to his "top priority." Such indifference was what one could expect. Like many or most execs, his real priority was image, not substance -- to produce a convincing wince when the occasion called for it, like Enron chairman Ken Lay.

I think there have been very few dramatic portrayals of the cynical dynamics within the modern corporation, but one movie that offers this brilliantly is Robocop (the first, not the abysmal sequel) -- a fine American satire by director Paul Verhoeven.

July 10, 1998 was to be my final day at Morgan. On July 8 I retrieved my prepared message and pressed "send," then went for a coffee break at the Second Cup across the street with some colleagues.

Minutes after my return, I had Steve Katz on the phone in a state of high frenzy. "Where do you get your information??" he demanded. "Can you just answer the fucking question? ... No, that's completely inaccurate, we do not sell this product internally."

Moments later Bob was at my desk. I'd have to return my security pass and leave the building. "You've done much more good here than otherwise," he said. "I'm sorry you have to leave like this. I've got everyone, from Peter Miller on down, calling me."

A couple of hours later my Morgan phone number already had a message saying "non-working number." I mention this only because of the unprecedented efficiency (unless the achievement had been equalled once before, in London).

I called my employer, the middleman/headhunter people, to let them know the assignment had ended. The guy I reached, Kevin McSomething, asked me to mail my timecards and they'd get the signatures. I'd be paid for hours worked. He told me I'd harmed their relationship with the client but he didn't have information and didn't want to say anything further.

A few months later I ran into Bob on the street. His customary joviality was back, and he said there was something I'd be interested in knowing. VP Marc Becker and Morgan had had a falling out. Kind of suddenly. Bob told me Becker had made an appointment one morning for later that afternoon ... but was gone before the appointed time.