Ruby, listen to me. You want to join the enemy and live out some weirdo Freudian kill-your-daddy fantasy, fine. Whatever. Nothing I can do about it. But for the love of Christ would you please go find your own engineers and stop trying to steal mine? You’re not going to keep up with iPhone. I’m sorry, but you’re not. The carrier space is boiling down to two players — Verizon and AT&T — and the phone space is boiling down to us and RIM. As for this talent poaching, don’t even bother trying to deny it. One of my people sent me the following email which came from some staffing guy at Palm:

> From: xxxxxx
> Date: May 20, 2008 11:16:10 AM PDT
> To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Opportunities at Palm
>
> XXXXXXXX,
>
> Palm is in the midst of a culture change. Since we invented the technology, we should be number one in the industry. Under the direction of Jon Rubinstein, Palm is ready to commit to excellence in the marketplace. Elevation Partners has invested in 25% of Palm, and Jon Rubinstein, the now famous Apple executive who brought the iPod to life, and ran Apple’s iPod division until recently, has joined as Executive Chairman. The deal also brings Elevation founders Roger McNamee and Fred Anderson (former CFO of Apple) onto the Board of Palm.
>
> We are actively searching for extremely qualified individuals ready to join us in our commitment to excellence and challenge status quo. We have identified key positions within our environment crucial to accomplishing our goals. I am personally looking for SR Lead Electrical Engineers, SR RF HW Design Engineer, SR CAD Engineer, Power Management, Engineering Program Managers, and Bluetooth Protocol Test Engineers. Please visit our website for other challenging opportunities at Palm, Inc., www.palm.com
>
> If you have a desire to be considered for a position with Palm please forward a copy of your resume for immediate consideration
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> xxxxxxxx