Former Vodacom senior accountant drops Please Call Me bombshells

[quovadis]

If this is about that makata clown though - it's irrelevant. He didn't invent it. He didn't patent it. He didn't implement it. Why should he benefit from it?

Because he initiated it and was credited with it within Vodacom and they agreed, in writing, to compensate him for it including a share of proceeds. It's their own damn fault especially as they allowed so much time to elapse and frustrated the process and negotiated in bad faith resulting in where they are now. I'm sure they've updated their policies and employment contracts.

 

[centurionguy]

What is a former employee doing with these spreadsheets? Certainly he may have generated them while he was employed, but all information should have been returned when he left Vodacom. To have kept this data in his possession will surely be found to be in conflict with his termination and Vodacom will probably have a case against him.

 

[We Love Bass]

MTN patented it. Ari Kahn I believe.

If what you are saying is true then why is this court battle still active?

 

[supersunbird]

So what if they can calculate it? I should hope so. It's really piss poor accounting if you can't work out revenue streams per product.

If this is about that makata clown though - it's irrelevant. He didn't invent it. He didn't patent it. He didn't implement it. Why should he benefit from it?

The courts found otherwise.

 

[Willie Trombone]

I don't see the relevance.
None of this should determine any outcome of the current handbags tournament.

 

[jannievanzyl]

Because he initiated it and was credited with it within Vodacom and they agreed, in writing, to compensate him for it including a share of proceeds.

Share of proceeds? Can you link to this, please. I missed that.

 

[j4ck455]

Well spotted! Such data is typically considered the property of the employer and should not be with an ex-employee. He/she may have opened up him/her to some legal action

I would not be surprised if Vodacom is in the process of Anton Pillering his arse (amongst other things).

 

[quovadis]

Share of proceeds? Can you link to this, please. I missed that.

Am I misinterpreting the factual background? Item 5 as per Makate v Vodacom (Pty) Ltd (CCT52/15) [2016] ZACC 13; 2016 (6) BCLR 709 (CC); 2016 (4) SA 121 (CC) (26 April 2016) judgment states:

[5] The applicant and Mr Geissler negotiated and agreed that Vodacom would use the applicant’s idea to develop a new product which would be put on trial for commercial viability. If the product was successful then the applicant would be paid a share in the revenue generated by it. Although the applicant had indicated that he wanted 15% of the revenue, the parties deferred their negotiations on the amount to be paid to the applicant for a later date. However, they agreed that in the event of them failing to agree on the amount, Vodacom’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) would determine the amount.

 

[|tera|]

In my opinion not every PCM send generate income, but every PCM sent will generate cost. I have received a few PCM's of which only a few were from a Vodacom number lots from MTN and Cell C numbers though. The only ones I ever returned were from my Grand Children and one or two from my Gardener.
I cannot for the life of me see how it would be possible to calculate the revenue generate by the PCM system. Judging form the number of PCM i received so far Vodacom would have lost money rather than gained any.
This is more a case of someone giving him the wrong advice and creating the expectation of immeasurable riches.
He would be far better offer take the offer and enjoy the rest of his life.

They generate income on pcm via the advertising messages contained in each one. Much like Google does for web.
It would be interesting to know 'when' income on it was applied though.

 

[Hemi300c]

Take tthe R47mil and pay your legal fees of R46,75mil and............... Oh wait.

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Irrespective of what Motaung claims to be able to prove, I am wondering why a former Vodacom employee still has confidential Vodacom financial data in his possession.

Did Vodacom give him permission to retain such data after he resigned?
Did he specifically choose to retain this data in the hopes of getting a share of whatever Makate eventually gets from Vodacom?

That was exactly my thought when reading the article.
If he is no longer employed by Vodacom then he has no right to be in possession or sharing those documents. They will be confidential as they contain financial information.

 

[mercurial]

Jirre, fok. Is R47m not enough? Fokken uitgevriet.

 

[Nemesys]

They generate income on pcm via the advertising messages contained in each one. Much like Google does for web.
It would be interesting to know 'when' income on it was applied though.

Granted they now will generate income through advertising but in the beginning that was not part of the concept or I think that idea. The advertising came much later.

 

[Chunk20]

That was exactly my thought when reading the article.
If he is no longer employed by Vodacom then he has no right to be in possession or sharing those documents. They will be confidential as they contain financial information.

Whistle blowers always have confidential information, unless you happy that Vodacom lies to the courts.

 

[Gnome]

I've said it before and will say it again, ideas aren't worth much:

 

[|tera|]

Granted they now will generate income through advertising but in the beginning that was not part of the concept or I think that idea. The advertising came much later.

Well previous income without advertising fees were actual call and termination rates between Voda and MTN, before Cell C existed. That's going way back though.

Edit: Revenue was received from Internet services, cellphone contracts, calls and sms. This could be within and across a network. Add advertising, banking, rewards and reduced pricing, we are here today. Overselling like Rain will never work. They will see their asses soon.
The big players here all have International reach. They have the infrastructure, resources and human capabilities (fk you ML) to keep their service and networks running.

PCM is dated crap. It shouldn't even be newsworthy IMHO.

 

[JustAsk]

Also find it fascinating that Makate has made it this far against a corporate giant like Vodacom.

Word...

And NOT taking the R47M. Which actually means Vodascum owns him more, they just want to limit the losses to 47m

 

[Thor]

Scum business.

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Whistle blowers always have confidential information, unless you happy that Vodacom lies to the courts.

That isnt what I was saying at all, I worked for Vodacom for a while many many years ago, there is nothing at all I like about that company.
What I am saying is that releasing privileged information like financial records can and most likely will lead to prosecution.
Its also a he said, she said type scenario. If those are spreadsheets as it was mentioned then the integrity could be compromised and figures could have been modified.

 

[Swa]

In my opinion not every PCM send generate income, but every PCM sent will generate cost. I have received a few PCM's of which only a few were from a Vodacom number lots from MTN and Cell C numbers though. The only ones I ever returned were from my Grand Children and one or two from my Gardener.
I cannot for the life of me see how it would be possible to calculate the revenue generate by the PCM system. Judging form the number of PCM i received so far Vodacom would have lost money rather than gained any.
This is more a case of someone giving him the wrong advice and creating the expectation of immeasurable riches.
He would be far better offer take the offer and enjoy the rest of his life.

Vodacom has the data and a lot more. Deep data analysis isn't a new thing.

MTN patented it. Ari Kahn I believe.

MTN patented something different based on AVR. There is no South African inventer.