How do we get Huw Roberts Replaced as CEO

[Nuge]

From a long-standing user of Archicad, the latest AC26 release is another abject failure in a long line of failures and missed opportunities under Huw Roberts's leadership.  How do we as the Archicad community have him replaced with someone with a true vision of the future, not the marketing bullsh!t we just had to endure at the 40 years of building together event.

Given the comments on this forum alone regarding AC26 and from the previous 2 releases what does it take to convince the  Nemetschek Board to replace him?

[DGSketcher]

There isn't anything to stop you contacting Nemetschek directly. I get the impression the board are focussed on delivering software solutions to the construction industry. I'm not sure how aware they are of what is happening to Archicad. Perhaps you might get them to ask some questions of the Graphisoft management.

[jl_lt]

I really find it next to impossible a company like Nemetschek doesnt know whats going on with Graphisofts strategy. Question is, do they care?

[DGSketcher]

They may know the strategy, but do they know what is happening on the ground? 

[Bricklyne Clarence]

I think these problems pre-date Huw's reign at Graphisoft and I fear him getting replaced would simply substitute one tokenistic powerless figurehead for yet another powerless tokenistic figurehead.

The rot has set deep and has been eating away for longer than just the past 10 years if I'm to be honest.

We just might not have noticed it (well,....some of us did),...because most of us were that proverbial frog in the slowly heating saucepan not realizing that our nice warm soak was about to turn into a boiling casket.

But the signs were always there.

There's just something in the work and corporate culture over at GSHQ that I don't believe a Huw or anyone else with an overflowing and spangling resume is going to be able to do anything about anytime soon.

I also don't necessarily believe the problem necessarily lies with the lower and entry level Devs either. It's a culture they find when they get there and just slide into.

I think this is more of a middle and upper management problem with the folks who've been there for 15-20+ years who still feel like the world is the same as the one they were living in back in the late 90's/early 2000's when they got there.

And it just isn't.

As for Nemetschek, for their part, they  will only be moved to act when they see a precipitous drop in subscriber and user license purchase numbers resulting in a noticeable drop in revenue which in turn results in a knock on their stock price and the ensuing outcry from their shareholders.

This is usually the pattern and path that most companies follow in coming to point of deciding make the kind of major change needed to turn the ship around.

Until then, there's simply no incentive to rock the boat.

[Mjules]

Marketing is not what they are doing actually at Graphisoft. It's more than that, but it's not about fake news. 

In marketing, the product to sell to the public must be able to talk about itself. It doesn't want a CEO or staff to talk on its behalf.  Otherwise, there is a big problem! 

[Rob Hancox]

I think you're absolutely right. I also think it's more of the fact that they're not solving the problems that underpin the AC application itself.  It's painful to navigate and you're constantly having to find "workaround" solutions due to either: a) a fundamental coding issue, b) too busy to solve it or c) just farm it out to a 3rd party company to make money out building a scripted solution (Central Innovation for example).  Perhaps it's the culture in the business that is "happy" with substandard. 

Unfortunately for us "users" we've invested time, money and then some more money and then an incredible amount of time in building our workflows around Graphisofts Archicad product that makes it difficult to justify jumping ship.   If I had my time over again and knowing the cut-de-sac that I find myself I wish I could've used an alternative tool.