Saturday, September 20, 2008

Chutzpah





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Bill Gates advertised for a new chairman of Microsoft Europe. 5000 candidates
are assembled in a large room. One of them is Maurice Cohen, a little Jewish
Parisian Tunisian.



Bill Gates thanks the candidates for coming but asks all those who are not familiar
with the JAVA program language to leave.



2000 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says to himself, 'I do not
know this language but what have I got to lose if I stay? I'll give it a try'.



Bill Gates then asks all those who have no experience of managing teams of more
than 100 people to leave.



Another 2000 people go. Maurice Cohen says to himself, 'I have never managed
anybody but myself but what have I got to lose if I stay ? What can happen to
me?' Then Bill Gates asks all candidates who do not have outstanding academic
qualifications to rise and leave. 500 people remove themselves.



Maurice Cohen says to himself, 'I left school at 15 but what have I got to lose
if I stay? So he stays in the room.



Lastly, Bill Gates asks all of the candidates who do not speak the Serbo-Croat
language to rise and leave. 498 people rise and leave the room.



Maurice Cohen says himself, 'I do not speak Serbo-Croat but what the hell! -
have I got anything to lose?'



He finds himself alone with one other candidate. Everyone else has gone. Bill
Gates joins them and says: 'Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak
Serbo-Croatian. I'd like to hear you converse with one another in Serbo-Croatian.
Calmly Maurice turns to the other candidate and says to him:




'Baroukh ata Adonaï.'



The other candidate answers:


'Elohénou melekh ha'olam .'

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