I spent in Orbotech 6 years. Well, spent is probably the wrong word, I actually enjoyed my time there. If I could disregard the number of times that somebody somewhere in the decision making spheres tried to f--k me, then I can even say I had a great time there. Yes, true, I got right at start a company car that smelled like one thousand cigarette butts. True, they forced me to change my contract and lose lots of money from my pocket. True, they objected to buying a flight ticket to my mother's death bed. True, I worked two full shifts every day, and when the moment came they didn't give much of a s--t. And some more "True"s. But most of the real working guys and gals were great guys and gals. And I've got a lot of friends left there when the company decided they didn't need good people anymore. It is funny, come to think of it, that I was so misled at the beginning and I thought that this company was devoid of politics and cared about work only. Easy to be as such when all goes well. But when the hounds start biting at one's heels... beware humanity, another pack of wolves is in the forming...

I was lucky in one aspect. I was "ejected" once before from a "family". Therefore when I joined Orbotech I made a pledge to myself: never again. Not never again to be ejected - that's uncontrollable in a man-eat-man world. But never again this pain. So that when the decision came that I was too good for the company and they wanted to allow others enjoy my services as well, and let me go, I was so (relatively speaking) relaxed, that friends thought something was wrong with me and I may need a bit of electro-shock therapy. But it wasn't at all the right direction. Actually the secret lies in a question/answer one of my friends there asked me:

"Say Yossi, will you write now also a book about Orbotech?"
"No" I answered.
"Why?" was the inevitable continuation. And my answer:
"You see, with Scitex I was sentimentaly involved, it was family. With Orbotech - it is just another working place. Do a perfect job while there, but when the moment comes to say good bye, you leave. A perfect stranger, just like when you joined it."