Ray Morgan retires?

FGS, I suggested that a person might assume that vB will carry on as it has been going for the last few months. If you don't agree, fine. Don't assume. It's just a way of saying what I think is likely. If you don't agree, fine. Don't agree.

It was just a comment. I really don't care what anyone assumes.

 

I hope everyone will now return to the actual topic of the thread.

 

OK. Here's a good question.

Now that Ray and vBulletin soled a record number of licenses during a mega hyped, surprise 2 week presale and the product is still not released (nor should it be close to release), does anyone know what Ray Morgan's severance package consisted of and bonus compensation?

 

Nope. Do you?

 

Why in gods name would we know that?

 

LOL. You mean that Ray didn't privilege you with that info? Well, I don't feel so bad now! *snicker*

 

I say this tongue-in-cheek, but I think someone has watched too much news lately. Ray was the middleman in a small company, but that doesn't really matter. Unfortunately the news has conditioned us to find a scapegoat.

 

a) Internet Brands is a public company. They must make disclosures. I'm not quite sure what Ray's true title is in that company and whether they made him #1 but are trying to shield his numbers by using other lame ducks as the "officers" of the company.

b) Perhaps someone has heard info through the rumor mill. People love to talk about severence numbers they have overheard, especially if they aren't happy with their own.

All I can say is this - I was mad enough about Ray not giving us any prior notice about cutting off our right to update our maintenance to continue to receive updates to 3.x. It's challenging to choose words to describe the ultimate chutzpah in watching IB upsell vBulletin 4.x as the greatest ever and gift from the All Mighty, and then have the #1 man, the project manager, leave with his big bonus and severance to build his dream house with vBulletin 4 not nearly done. This reflects squarely on Bob Brisco. I want to hear how he explains this on Twitter. Calling this irresponsible and beyond insulting to all the licensees who were forced to upgrade to 4.0. Perhaps next you'll see the IB brass move to homes in Central and South America. I don't wonder where my upgrade money is being deposited.

 

Apparently you don't "get it" yet. RAY didn't cut off your right to update. Ray was told what to do and did it. Ray is/was the general manager. Ray took orders from higher up. Now that the damage is done, Ray has either quit (ok, retired) or been let go. Now they can use him as their scapegoat. Don't play into their hands by doing the same thing. Put the blame with the higher-ups where it belongs.

 

I got it perfectly.

1) How do you know what Ray's role was? Who are the "higher ups" in the company? It isn't James Lim. Are you talking about CEO Bubby Brisco? He's already on the hook for being the chief person who screwed everyone with full knowledge of the pricing fiasco and with his direction.

2) Ray is GM. Who made the decision one morning to NOT inform current customers that renewing maintenance was over? I remember reading his one post in the forum claiming that he "warned" everyone they should keep their maintenance current, blah blah blah. Just like Steve and Wayne, unfortunately, everyone had their choices of what to do. If he left with a big fat sales bonus by "just following orders" then, I'm sorry, but he got paid off and is accountable.

Nothing I have read here or anywhere else shows any remorse by Ray about how things were handled. In fact, he seems more giddy about making record numbers than anything else.

Wayne... I don't know. If you notice, I haven't seen him make too many excuses and just seems to sit silently on the sideline choosing not to say anything if he can. I got it perfectly. From what I can see now I should have just wired the money to a bank in Central America. And he also left with the project half done. Sorry, he took my money and then decided to do what he wanted to do instead of following through on his promises as the GM.

Lucy.... you got some 'splainin' to do....

 

FWIW where ever I worked the GM (General Manager) always, always, took crap from both sides. The higher ups made them look bad to the working Joe and the working Joe always hated the GM for what the BOD (Board of directors) made them do.

I have very little doubt that is the case with IB.

 

You want to hear it all explained in 140 characters or less?!?!

 

rofl.....

@Slinky, you said you'd stop the hate train, and yet you're still continuing it in lists of 3...

 

I don't know what lists of three means but what do you expect? To put lipstick on a pig and pucker up? Every single bit of news at vBulletin has unfortunately been one disaster after the next and, I'm sorry, but unlike yourself I can't just look the other way without there being even a modicum of quid pro quo. What do you expect me to say after they bent my arm behind my back, took a good sum of money to then find that the guy running my project has fled to another country?

I've been funding salaries at vBulletin and, as such, I deserve answers as to what is going on and why software that is "really, really, early beta" in late October is somehow absolutely going release just a few weeks later with the leader retiring to sunshine. vBulletin used to provide absurd marketing spin that was so pathetic it was sufficient at least for a good laugh. I can't even get entertainment value from them any more! ;D

 

ROFL! Good one Lynne...

 

FWIW Slinky, I think you bring up some good, valid points. Most ppl just want the mayhem to end and move on.

These details you bring up, while out of our hands...well everybody's hands really, do (imo) shed light on where the perception of the downfall is rooted. Let me say...where it should be rightfully accountable to and whom.

Business is beeeezness, as they say. For me, it is important to know reasonable well where the root lies and how big that blanket is. It still is ulitmately a single decision made by a single person. People with their various titles....get paid to do what they do or have done. I have no sympathy...they applied and accepted the role!!

If it helps...you're getting it here. :spin:


:2cents:

 

I must admit to no longer having a dog in this hunt. I didn't care for the management techniques at vBulletin, so I decided to spend the money to move my sites over to Invision. It really wasn't such a big deal, in retrospect. I looked where vB had been, where they are today and I didn't like what I saw. I didn't waste time spitting blood and vitriol at anyone about it. Here, at vBulletin or anywhere else. I examined my options and made the decision I felt made the most sense for myself and my members.

Some of the ongoing gripes and complaints somehow transcend being nauseous and return to being blatantly ridiculous. It is what it is. Your options are actually quite simple. Deal with it. Or not. What's so tough about those choices?

Are you still with vBulletin? Or have you moved to an alternative software source? If you're still with vBulletin, what are you really angry about?

And this year's Academy Award winner in the Drama category is... :rofl:

Who bent your arm behind your back? Or was that just to add a bit of dramatic flavor to your ongoing complaints?

As for Ray Morgan leaving vBulletin, where did you ever come up with the idea he 'has fled to another country'? My experience with Ray (shortly after the vB4 pricing was announced, BTW) proved to me he was set up to be someone's whippin' boy and that he really didn't know beans about project development of any type. As such, I should think anyone with continuing vBulletin business should be rejoicing his departure. Yet you make it sound as if he is skulking across the southern border under the cover of darkness, with your last renewal fee tucked in his wallet.

Gee, I am in awe at how you have 'been funding salaries at vBulletin'. Actually, I think you, myself and a few thousand others have been doing that, haven't we? After being a vBulletin customer for a few weeks shy of five years, I figured all I deserved was a license renewal notice once a year. I never expected to sit on the Board, myself.

Ohhhhh, now I get it. You're writing the dramatic posts about how your arm's been twisted (when we all know otherwise) and how a company's employee has fled the country for the simple reason that vBulletin has stripped away any other ammunition you might fire at them.

I think we have the basis for a new Mission Impossible script. Ethan Hunt (with Slinky replacing Tom Cruise for this one) accepts the mission to locate Ray Morgan in the tropical rain forests of Central America and kidnaps him, returning him to America where he will be sentenced to listening to outrageous customer complaints for the rest of his life. Slinky, think of it - you can write the screenplay, produce the film, direct the film and be the blockbuster's leading character, all in one.

Of course that will leave you a lot less time to bleat about how vBulletin and Ray Morgan have so terribly and unjustly wronged you. Speaking entirely for myself (but figuring others will certainly agree), I will try to deal with that loss as quietly as possible.

If you will all excuse me, I'm going to see what other dead horses are being beaten this morning.

 

I would like to nominate this post, as post of the year.

 

I will second this nomination.

 

Motion passed.