Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying and gender discrimination.

“The problem of the day is intermittent network outages. As the Director of Midrange Technology Operations, I’m responsible for the availability and smooth functioning of a relatively small IT group at Parts Unlimited, a $4 billion per year manufacturing and retail company based in Elkhart Grove. Even in the technology backwaters I’ve chosen to make my turf, I need to track network issues closely. Because these issues disrupt the services my group provides, people will blame the outages on me.”

This introduction to Palmer’s daily life frames his role within the larger business. Parts Unlimited is not a small company, and though Palmer’s group is small, it has a lot of responsibility. Crucially, Palmer views his role through the limited lens of his group’s niche reputation, looking at outages as making him and Midrange Operations look bad. This perspective hints at the issues with tribalism that he encounters later in the novel.

“‘Absolutely,’ I say, nodding. ‘You want the IT systems to be reliable and available, and for the business to be able to depend upon them. You want disruptions to normal operations kept to an absolute minimum so that the business can focus on getting Phoenix done.’ Looking surprised, Steve nods. ‘Exactly. Yes, well put. Whatever you said, that’s exactly what I want.’”

Palmer’s summary of Masters’s request frames IT as a background process compared to the more valuable and relevant business departments. The key term to note, here, is Masters’s use of “whatever,” which reveals how little Masters cares about IT. Palmer essentially promises not to do a great job, but to stay out of the way as much as possible, while Masters could not care less about Palmer’s role so long as it does not draw attention to IT.

“Sarah is the SVP of Retail Operations, and she also works for Steve. She has an uncanny knack for blaming other people for her screwups, especially IT people. For years, she’s been able to escape any sort of real accountability. Although I’ve heard rumors that Steve is grooming her as his replacement, I’ve always discounted that as being totally impossible. I’m certain that Steve can’t be blind to her machinations.”

Moulton is the main antagonist of the novel, and here, Palmer outlines why he dislikes her. She blames IT for problems rather than taking responsibility for her contributions. It is important to note that the text’s depiction of Moulton’s character highlights some critical elements of misogyny in the modern workplace, such as the perception that women “cannot handle” responsibility or that they depend on “manipulation” to get ahead.