Genevieve Fioraso, French Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, had declared just 18 months ago:
"Au regard de l'importance des enjeux, sur les plans scientifique, économique et sociétal, le gouvernement français réaffirme son soutien au principe du libre accès à l'information scientifique."
Or
"Given the high stakes - scientific, economic and societal - the French government reaffirms its support for the principle of open access to scientific information."
-> True. I don't know if it's the biggest in the world but it is indeed gigantic.
"The best food in France [...]"
-> Bullshit. The best food in France (like, probably, anywhere else in the world) comes from small local producers.
"Where France’s Top Chefs Buy Their Food"
-> Probably only partially true. Top chefs (Michelin starred) source their products directly from small producers (see above).
"But ask most Parisians if they’ve heard of it, and they’re likely to shrug and shake their heads."
-> Total bullshit. Most Parisians know about it, and it's been featured on national TV (including popular show like Top Chef and Master Chef) times and times again.
I find it disturbing that, as stated in the first footnote, John Conway can be listed as an author of the paper, against his approval (or despite his non-approval).
What if someone gets hurt because of this paper and Mr Conway's responsibility is engaged ?
Are you American? I was wondering about this too. As a Frenchman, I had the same reaction as you, but I think Americans care a lot about this. I've been told for example that in the US it would be completely impossible for a president to be elected if he didn't had a solid marriage and family.
It's a strange dichotomy in a way; we, as Americans, are supposed to be aggressively family-oriented while, at the same time, relentlessly dedicated to our work. Corporate culture here definitely has a certain intensity to it that can be a little off-putting.
What I will say, though, is that statements like that from a CEO can often give comfort to employees raising families. It can be jarring, for example, to transition from a boss who allows flexible workdays to take your kids to school, drive them to practice, etc. to one who doesn't. For a CEO, there's even the possibility of changing policies on parental leave, etc. that can definitely affect morale.
There's also the aspect of Nadella offering himself as a role-model for those who are wondering if there's life after 30 in the tech world. It can be reassuring to know that you can get married, have children, get older, have a personal life, etc. and still become CEO of a company. IMO it's a good counter-argument to the no-holds-barred hustle culture that is peddled to 20-somethings.
Surely, if he strongly identifies as a family man, and having a family is something that has shaped his growth as a human being, it's something he finds worth mentioning, no?
I don't think Americans really care either. I am American and don't remember that sort of thing from any C-level announcements at any company I've worked with. But my Indian-born coworkers have pretty consistently asked me about family, including how many sons and how many daughters. So maybe it's a mix of that culture and also a show of American openness.
> I've been told for example that in the US it would be completely impossible for a president to be elected if he didn't had a solid marriage and family.
That may be true now, but there have indeed been unmarried Presidents. Just saying.
You're right. It applies to regular jobs too. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you'd better have spouse and kids. Also, based on my experience, having children give you a career boost, even though quality of work and motivation level take a dip. (understandably so in many cases)
These days, it's trendy do the "I am... x3" tagline on your blog. Many of us will write something along the line of, "I'm a father of 3. I'm a technologist. And I'm an avid surfer".
I wonder how long that will go on being true. It was once the case that you had to have served in the military too, even if only as a reservist (Bush II). But Clinton was a draft dodger and Obama prefers to send in the drones. One day America will elect a woman president, then a gay president, then a lesbian president.
Homophobic people are less scared of lesbians. They "can understand" why women would want to be with women. So I'd bet that the US will have a lesbian president before a gay male president.
More interesting is the rest of that paragraph, where he points out that he doesn't complete things that he starts. Not the best trait for a CxO. Perhaps that little section was missed by the PR people who (probably) vetted the email.
"Open source is not a product. Open source is a community effort. If you don't want to use it - well, it's your problem. No one will shed a tear about it."
Bullshit. Open source or not, a product is a product. If nobody uses it, you've waisted your time (and the time of the other contributors) building it.
"Au regard de l'importance des enjeux, sur les plans scientifique, économique et sociétal, le gouvernement français réaffirme son soutien au principe du libre accès à l'information scientifique."
Or
"Given the high stakes - scientific, economic and societal - the French government reaffirms its support for the principle of open access to scientific information."
Reference: http://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/cid66992/discou...
Shame that she didn't follow through!