Yesterday I woke as an IBMer. (Coincidentally, I was actually wearing a blue striped nightshirt!) As when the possibility of ILOG being acquired by IBM emerged, I have continued mixed feelings about my employer change.
ILOG was a wonderful company to work for. I started there back in 1997, not very long after I defended my PhD. At the time, the average tenure at a Silicon Valley company was 9 months. I surpassed that average by 11 years. My job at ILOG has evolved though the years, just as ILOG itself evolved. I treasure the friends I have made, the experiences I have had and the opportunities that have come my way. Trips to resorts in various parts of France, including the Riviera, while sometimes complicated by my choice to have my kids accompany me, will be remembered.
While not easy, I always managed to find a balance between ILOG and family. In times of need, ILOG was there for me. I always felt that I was part of a “family”. Gifts for new babies, a birthday party in the boardroom in Paris for Camille, a new position when I realized that being a consultant and a nursing mother to a newborn wasn’t going to be possible.
I love ILOG. I hope that in time I will come to love IBM in the same way. Only time will tell.
Thank you to ILOG and all my ILOG compatriots for making the journey as interesting and special as it has been. The journey isn’t over, but I do sense that we’re travwling a different road now.
