Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
For the last few months, Warren’s duties as COO had expanded to being my unofficial anger management coach. Being skewered by a bunch of old dudes, the Board, wasn’t my idea of fun. In my humble opinion, all the geezers on the Board were out of touch with today anyway, but Warren pushed my approval for each and every member.
As much as he tried to mollify my frustration with the annoying Board members, he also defended their actions. He balanced a delicate role as mediator between us. He had his reasons, backed up by research and financial analysis to why each member was valuable to Pictogram, but at that point, I just didn’t care anymore.
Why should I listen to octogenarians who didn’t even own smartphones?
Nonetheless, the Chairman of the Board, Lester Powell, stared down at me behind his thick bifocal glasses. In his gravelly voice, he declared, “We all think you’ve made incomprehensibly poor decisions as CEO. The naked photographs…” His face contorted into a mix between disgust and derision. “Orgies, Theo? Orgies?”
Gritting my teeth, I looked at Warren who shook his head at me silently begging me to stay quiet.
Lester sneered at me. “Your reputation as a womanizer, a man who partakes in orgies, is not helping the direction we want to take this company.” He was quiet for a moment. “You may not understand this, but people grow up. You may not have yet, but the Millennial generation are starting to get married and have children. Family friendly apps are the future.” Squinting his eyes, he said, “If we want Pictogram to be around in the future, then we need to prepare for it.”
Lester Powell was as old as dirt with a rotund belly. From the looks of him, he was on his last legs. From my vantage point, I suspected he hadn’t prepared for his own future with his poor health: diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Of course, I kept these thoughts to myself.
The entire room was silent. No one moved while Lester continued his diatribe. He picked up a paper jam packed with charts and numbers. Reading from it, he said, “In a recent poll, 33% of users felt uncomfortable posting pics of their children on the same platform that is run by a CEO who has sexual orgies.”
The other members of the Board shook their heads in displeasure. No one would look me in the eye. I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “How did the other 67% feel about the photos?” I demanded.
“I hardly think that’s the point!” Lester insisted, slamming the paper down on the table.
“It’s a valid point.” I stood and snatched the paper up scanning the statistics. “The other 67% said they didn’t care.” I tossed the paper back down.
Walter, another Board member, said diplomatically, “Theodore, that is not the point. 33% of dissatisfied customers means that’s 33% of users that will not be using Pictogram any longer. User retention is important. Those numbers are not good.”
Sinking back in to my chair, I sighed. It wasn’t great, but 33% of unhappy users was hardly something to get frazzled about. Cocking my head at the paper, I maintained, “Those 33% of users stated they felt uncomfortable right now.” I jabbed my finger on the table. “This is not to say that these same users might forget about it in a couple of months and go back to using Pictogram.”
Lester scoffed. “Do you have a magic ball to assure us that will happen?”
I groaned loudly, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t, but we have new features that users will love. We have new and improved emojis exclusive to Pictogram, facial recognition…”
Walter cut me off. “Sooner or later other competing platforms will have those same features.”
Lester cleared his throat. “You need to change your image, Theo. That’s the only way. You need to be the stable family man our users can relate to.”
“I’ve tried. What more can I do? The media has their mind set that I’m this womanizing playboy,” I countered.
Walter broke in, “You could get married, Theodore. That would definitely signify to the public that you are truly a changed man.”
The other Board members nodded their heads in agreement.
Eugene Carter agreed heartily. “What a wonderful idea! Let’s take a vote!”
Jumping up, I shouted, “Let’s not take a vote on my marital status, please.”
Lester smiled for the first time since the meeting started. “Theo, it’s a perfect solution. If you get married, then you can develop a new image as a devoted husband, a family man.”
Warren nodded emphatically in agreement with Lester’s assessment. Eugene was smiling so big I was afraid his dentures were going to fall out. The rest of the Board members were one hundred percent behind the idea, staring back at me with outright approval on their faces. Slumping back in my chair, I thought it over with the entire room’s eyes on me.