It’s not a secret I like Iron Man. Even if that now, in the Marvel universe, Tony Stark is a total ass.
With that being said, I think it’s pretty clear that Tony Stark is probably one of the best product managers technology-focused founders ever.
Update: See the comment thread with Bob Corrigan of ack/nak fame for the reason why I changed this. He’s totally right…but Stark still gives one hell of a demo.
Nevermind being a successful founder of a huge military-driven organization, but he’s at the centre of all of the products the organization creates and releases to their customers and the market(s) they occupy. While there are flashes / glances of this throughout the comics, it’s pretty defined within the movie. Obviously, I’m leaving aside how crazy that is for the size of company Stark is supposed to be. But, I digress.
If I could link to specific clips I would. However, I will say this – Stark’s product demo skills are unmatched. Here’s his pitch for a new product (a missile, called the Jericho).
*They* say that the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That’s how Dad did it, that’s how America does it… and it’s worked out pretty well so far. I present to you the newest in Stark Industries’ Freedom line. Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee, the bad guys won’t even wanna come out of their caves. Ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration… the Jericho.
Stark is every VC’s dream – he is both business savvy and incredibly technically savvy; not a lot unlike Bill Gates.
I’m sure Stark Industries / Enterprise / International (the name depends on where you are in the comic timeline) has seen some pretty brutal product and technical reviews go down in their halls – with engineers either out of jobs of reduced to tears after having Stark rip apart product specifications they have created.
Of course, I’m stretching things a bit here. What am I really trying to say? That an organization needs a Tony Stark in order to truly succeed? Of course not.
But, he does the same thing as any organization ever has in order to make it truly successful. He didn’t start out with all the crazy technology he currently has and billions of dollars. He started out being obsessed with building the best military weapons possible. That’s the point.
Google did the same thing. They didn’t start with Gmail, and Google Gears, and Picasa, and all that stuff. They started with search. They got that right, have billions of dollars today and a myriad of products. But…guess what?
They picked 1 thing (search), obsessed over it, and got it right. Then they made things more complex, and grew, etc… But they didn’t start out with the goal of being a billion dollar, 16,000 person organization.
Just like Stark obsesses over creating the best weapons technology around, products can only be successful if they start with 1 champion (a founder, CEO, product manager, etc…) and it solves a problem, and it’s obsessed over, ultimately by a group of people working to achieve a common set of goals.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
heehhee, when i read this post i’m just laughing at my self, me. who dreaming has a celebrity blog, that can beat google with my finger. lol.
heehhee, when i read this post i'm just laughing at my self, me. who dreaming has a celebrity blog, that can beat google with my finger. lol.
Adam, as much as it pains me to disagree, I’d argue he is the best technology-focused founder ever, not the best PM.
1. He has control over budgets – PMs don’t.
2. He can take the company in a wacky new direction without approval – PMs can’t.
3. He can create and implement new technologies on his own – PMs shouldn’t.
All that being said, I’m a huge Iron Man / Tony Stark / Robert Downey Jr. fan, and I’ll agree that his passion for excellence is a wonderful trait. It’s when passion turns into obsession that I worry, because obsession isn’t reasonable.
Ain’t it great being a fanboy? Wowzers.
Adam, as much as it pains me to disagree, I'd argue he is the best technology-focused founder ever, not the best PM.
1. He has control over budgets – PMs don't.
2. He can take the company in a wacky new direction without approval – PMs can't.
3. He can create and implement new technologies on his own – PMs shouldn't.
All that being said, I'm a huge Iron Man / Tony Stark / Robert Downey Jr. fan, and I'll agree that his passion for excellence is a wonderful trait. It's when passion turns into obsession that I worry, because obsession isn't reasonable.
Ain't it great being a fanboy? Wowzers.
Bob – I totally agree with you! I think I got a little eager to write about a post about Iron Man and include a picture from the flick that I overlooked those obvious, and all too true, points.
When I talk about obsessing, what I’m really trying to say is sticking to a single point or focus and not deviating, but executing to the best of the organizations ability. Obsessions can get dangerous, I agree – nor are they healthy.
Bob – I totally agree with you! I think I got a little eager to write about a post about Iron Man and include a picture from the flick that I overlooked those obvious, and all too true, points.
When I talk about obsessing, what I'm really trying to say is sticking to a single point or focus and not deviating, but executing to the best of the organizations ability. Obsessions can get dangerous, I agree – nor are they healthy.
I even updated the post — and yes, I love being a fanboy. But that still doesn’t mean I like Tony Stark / Iron Man in the current Marvel timelines. They really turned him in to an ass during and after Civil War.
I even updated the post — and yes, I love being a fanboy. But that still doesn't mean I like Tony Stark / Iron Man in the current Marvel timelines. They really turned him in to an ass during and after Civil War.
In the comics, Tony Stark has some definite character defects that might affect his employability. First and foremost, he’s a recovering alcoholic who fell off the wagon in a big, messy, dangerous way at least once. Second, he helped spark a civil war among super-heroes that ended badly. How could you hire someone responsible for the death of Captain America?
In the comics, Tony Stark has some definite character defects that might affect his employability. First and foremost, he's a recovering alcoholic who fell off the wagon in a big, messy, dangerous way at least once. Second, he helped spark a civil war among super-heroes that ended badly. How could you hire someone responsible for the death of Captain America?
LOL!
That’s so true. But, I’d hire him just due to the cyclical nature of comic book stories. Since Stark started out as a hero, eventually the drinking and the lame behavior will cease and he will in fact be a hero.
Just like how Marvel realized de-masking Spider-man was a ginormous mistake and had Mephisto come in and right the whole thing. Pepper Potts will probably show-up, pat Tony on the back, tell him everything is OK and ask if she can pick-up his dry cleaning and get him an espresso.
Then all will be well again.
LOL!
That's so true. But, I'd hire him just due to the cyclical nature of comic book stories. Since Stark started out as a hero, eventually the drinking and the lame behavior will cease and he will in fact be a hero.
Just like how Marvel realized de-masking Spider-man was a ginormous mistake and had Mephisto come in and right the whole thing. Pepper Potts will probably show-up, pat Tony on the back, tell him everything is OK and ask if she can pick-up his dry cleaning and get him an espresso.
Then all will be well again.
Or Dr. Strange will cast some planet-wide amnesia spell to restore the “secret” part of “secret identities.” Or it was all Pam’s dream, which we’ll discover when she wakes up to see Bobby stepping out of the shower. (Sorry, different popular culture reference.)
Or Dr. Strange will cast some planet-wide amnesia spell to restore the “secret” part of “secret identities.” Or it was all Pam's dream, which we'll discover when she wakes up to see Bobby stepping out of the shower. (Sorry, different popular culture reference.)
I don’t know if Tony is the best.
I mean, compare him to Lex Luthor. Now there’s a genius. He’s got a Green and Purple suit (http://en.dcdatabaseproject.com/Lex_Luthor%27s_...) that beats IronMan’s Red and Yellow suit hands down.
He also became the President.
Yeah..I’d say Luther and LexCorp is the best technology-focused founder ever.
I don't know if Tony is the best.
I mean, compare him to Lex Luthor. Now there's a genius. He's got a Green and Purple suit (http://en.dcdatabaseproject.com/Lex_Luthor%27s_...) that beats IronMan's Red and Yellow suit hands down.
He also became the President.
Yeah..I'd say Luther and LexCorp is the best technology-focused founder ever.
I don't know if Tony is the best.
I mean, compare him to Lex Luthor. Now there's a genius. He's got a Green and Purple suit (http://en.dcdatabaseproject.com/Lex_Luthor%27s_...) that beats IronMan's Red and Yellow suit hands down.
He also became the President.
Yeah..I'd say Luther and LexCorp is the best technology-focused founder ever.