Friday, January 2, 2015

“We will, if you meet these challenges” – Computer Sweden

Hello Mr. Mayor. We will, if you meet these challenges

I ate dinner with my wife Ewa when the telephone message came. “Call me at Facebook at 7 pm, Swedish time.”

It was Friday, February 11, 2011 and we had nothing special planned for the evening. I remember I was pretty exhausted after the week’s work, there was great tension at all times during that period. But I thought now it’s Friday now, nothing happens more this week. Now we will have to wait until next week. I think Ewa thought and felt the same way. Tonight’s dinner I had prepared. I had prepared a ground beef pizza for a recipe that I found myself on and that the family loves. When Ewa came through the door, I put the pizza in the oven and after fifteen minutes we sat at the table to eat. I had the phone on silent but still took it up and looked, as a kind of reflex. The display I saw then that I had received text messages from a number that neither the phone nor I knew. I was asked to call Facebook. I almost lost my breath. What was this? I excused myself for Ewa and left the kitchen table and the pizza on the plate to make the call. At the other end re plied a man’s voice that I recognized.

“Hello Mr. Mayor, This is from Facebook. We Have Decide to build in Luleå. You are the Mayor and we want you to Be The First to Know. “

Heart was beating hard and the situation seemed unreal. I went around and talked, could not sit still. After some polite phrases came the call started in earnest and Ham Southworth from Facebook clarified the requirements that they had to begin construction in Dubai on schedule. “If you meet these five challenges, we will,” said Ham Southworth. I wrote on the back of an envelope:

Noise – Permission for hub and noise levels.
All three server halls must fit within the planning area.
We must agree on the price of land
The schedule must be maintained
state investment

I have left it where the envelope.

When the call ended, I had promised to Lulea would cope with all the challenges. I mentioned sum 6.6 million again to further pave the way for an agreement on the price of land. The only thing that was outside the municipality’s control, the State investment aid but it was obviously aware of this. We had from Luleå’s side during the whole process done what we could to inform and influence the right people at the state level and the government level to level the ground for an investment even if it was Invest in Sweden’s task to monitor and manage the issue.

 

All communication was constantly forced to be cryptic and short, no names or details were leaking out, then everything could turn around in an instant.

 


Exactly one year earlier, in early February 2010, sent letters to both Tillväxtverkets General and the Ministry of Industry with a description of this strategically important investment projects and meeting requests for further information and clarification. We were of course aware that negotiations were ongoing between the government and Facebook, with Invest Sweden as a coordinator, but we still wanted to get a chance to describe what the initiative would mean for Sweden and for our part of the country.

Back to middle and Ewa’s kitchen in Luleå that Friday night in February: “It was this” I said to Ewa. “They come here!”. I was happy soul and immediately sent a message to the rest of the project team, and in an email from your mobile phone, I wrote briefly the five points of the envelope note. All communication was constantly forced to be cryptic and short, no names or details were leaking out, then everything could turn around in an instant. Facebook was extremely carefully at that point. It was total secrecy that mattered.


 

It was a euphoric and hilarious encounter, but also ambitious and concrete.

 


Anders Granberg emailed from Lnab Ham Southworth same evening and announced that they would launch the necessary processes the following day. The same night I got an email from Thomas Sokolnicki from Invest in Sweden Agency who told me that he too received a call from Facebook and now he obviously was available as a sounding board and adviser if necessary. “Can you call this final sprint ??” he asked in conclusion. Yes, it could be that. Now it was really the final sprint for Lulea.

On Sunday gathered the entire project on Lnab’s office and we went through the list of requirements, and analyzed the current status and schedule for each one. It was a euphoric and hilarious encounter, but also ambitious and concrete. Now it was so close!

After the meeting I walked the short distance from Lnab to my home, along the northern port where the ice was thick and white. I remember the easy feeling inside, joy and excitement, the realization of what is now actually was becoming a reality as well exploded in his stomach now and then and spread the warm lyckovågor. But I also remember the turmoil. How would we cope with all this in the short time remaining? And what could emerge as complicated? So much could happen! How would we get everyone to do whatever was necessary? What if all slipping from our hands after all ?!


The first excerpt from the book Hallo Mr. Mayor, this is a Facebook-calling, written by Gunnel E Vidén, published on 29 December. The last statement we publish on 4 January. The book is available to order from info@ordfirman.se or Adlibris.

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