The 38 Studios collapse came out of nowhere and pretty much made everyone watching feel ill at just how... out of control the whole situation felt. And that's just for observers - for those involved, it must have been horrifying.
Nonetheless, it's a fascinating illustration of what can go wrong when good intentions, greed, and neophyte management combine.
Recently, though, Boston Magazine got pretty close access to ex-38 CEO, Curt Schilling, as well as many ex-employees, and the resulting article is the most detailed look at the collapse yet, and pretty compelling reading.
With midday Ultimate Frisbee games and a staff that got along remarkably well, the Maynard office appeared downright idyllic. Once, after an IT guy’s rottweiler died, Schilling presented him with a brand-new pup during an all-staff meeting. There was much applause. Former employees say Schilling was an unparalleled cheerleader. He hadn’t originally intended to be in the office full time, but when he got hurt in 2008 and subsequently retired from baseball, he became a permanent fixture. Jesse Smith, a designer, says that at monthly meetings, Schilling would usually give his thoughts after employees presented their work. “There were a couple times that you could tell he was getting choked up,” Smith says. “This was something that was just an idea and a dream to him, and now it’s coming to reality…. It was just powerful.”
Give it a read, gang. It's solid stuff.
