Chapter 8 - Resignation
The emergency board meeting was called for eight o'clock that night. The investors were furious, demanding a timeline for the server restorations and a PR strategy to handle the media fallout.
Julian stood at the head of the table. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket. His tie was loose. He looked at the circle of billionaires, venture capitalists, and tech moguls who had shaped his life for the last five years.
"We patch the legacy code. We offer free credit monitoring for affected users. The stock will rebound by Q3," Julian said mechanically, handing out the recovery packet his team had designed.
The chairman of the board nodded. "Good. We need you on CNBC tomorrow morning at 6 AM to reassure the markets, Julian."
"I won't be there," Julian said.
"Send the VP of Communications, then," the chairman waved a hand.
"No, you misunderstand," Julian placed his hands on the table. "I am stepping down as CEO of Vance Analytics, effective immediately."
Pandemonium erupted. Men in thousand-dollar suits stood up, shouting.
"You can't abandon the ship during a crisis!"
May you like
"I've given you the patch. I've given you the strategy," Julian said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "But I am done. I have spent my entire adult life building a machine that eats everything I actually care about. You have my resignation."
He didn't wait for a response. Julian walked out of the boardroom, took the private elevator to the lobby, and walked out into the San Francisco night. He didn't take his private car. He hailed a yellow cab, pulled out his phone, and bought a commercial airline ticket to Portland.
