Mike Puckett has done the unspeakable: he has taken on a CAD CEO.
Who is Mike Puckett? To call Mike a SolidWorks user is to not do him justice. Super user? Champion? Avenger? All those that disrespect SolidWorks had better hope they don't run into Mike. It's not like Mike is a scary fellow. He's actually a nice guy who I had the pleasure of meeting at SolidWorks World. But I hadn't dissed SolidWorks (lately) so I was not in Mike's sights. Not so lucky was an Autodesk representative who ended up answering to Autodesk's in-your-face anti-SolidWorks tactics of years past.
Mike's latest victim in Greg Milliken, CEO of Alibre, who aroused Mike's ire by first distributing anti-SolidWorks popcorn (?) at a trade show, and then (according to Mike's blog) impugning SolidWorks to Mikes face -- before Mike ripped off his civilian clothes and showed his SuperSolidWorks User uniform underneath. Mike documents Greg's transgressions here, so I don't need to repeat them. In response, Greg calls Mike a liar.
Yeah, it's a bit of a sh**storm. Our little private editors club is abuzz about it. Pro-Mike and pro-Greg factions are forming. I expect a lot more posts and emails. Much of it is about whether Mike was telling the truth. There's also: should we trust Mike? He hasn't been sworn in as a journalist. He doesn't know to corroborate the story. He doesn't worry about the newsworthiness of it. Is he crazy, taking on a CEO? Doesn't he worry about getting sued?
Mike doesn't have to worry about Greg pulling his advertising, either. Pure bloggers don't do advertising, so no worry about advertising pressure -- the secret and unstated fear of us all in the trade press.
Oh, to be freed from all those restraints! Maybe then we journalists could soar, seek the truth, go where the story goes, say the emperor has no clothes, dare to be controversial... Oh, wait -- that's the bloggers's world.
Mike operates without fear, a David among Goliaths, one user with a blog against all the guys in suits. He might not have learned to play the game, or know the give and take that we often taken for granted in trade press. He believes in the righteousness of his cause: the cause of the user. He may have underestimated the power of his written word and the size of his following. A few more posts like this and he may get beaten down by the wrath of CEO's and VPs, or field their veiled threats about lawsuits. His increased visibility may make him the target of the perpetual positive spin of PR staffers. Or he may succumb to VIP treatment vendors lavish on their favorite media people, the travel and gifts, and learn there is more to gain by playing along than warring against.
I hope not. Whatever we may think of Mike's story, right or wrong, we are all tuned in. This is about as exciting as it gets in our world.