This post is a tricky one. Accountants are the guys who pay the bills at the end and can if they want make your life hell. So watch what you say about them. I'll try my best...

But what I always wanted to say is the following: What happens typically when accountants (controllers, CFOs etc.) run a tech company? Well I have not done a representative survey here on this exciting subject, but have had many first hand experiences, one just last week.

In all cases the discussions on what to do strategically are reduced to "how much does it cost?", "what does it bring in short-term?", "what is the inherent risk?" and "with what probability can you exactly prove that your assumptions are correct?", and - finally - "all in exact numbers, please". If you laugh now then don't do it because you feel it is exaggerated. I have seen this type of behavior in small startups (that is the worst of course), and also large corporations, many times in particular in Germanic societies. All of them have after some initial financial improvement failed in the marketplace since they did not go anywhere. In one case the CFO, who was the CEO, sold off many business units to get nice cash and show positive results but entirely missed investing into new markets. In the other case no decision on how to move aggressively in a fast paced market environment was ever taken until it was simply too late.

My clear experience is that accountants are good at what they are supposed to do (financials) and terrible at what they are not supposed to do: run a high-tech firm. If you want to know the names of the companies drop me a line, but don't give it to your accountant then please.