After a period of great strain and tension within the company, Mike Ford, who was, more than any other person, responsible for developing the marketing and sales strategies that resulted in AutoCAD's enormous success, and in building the marketing, sales, and support organisation from a single person (himself), to more than 80 people, submitted his resignation.This is the memo I issued announcing his departure and the text of the remarks I made at the company meeting the following day. This was not a happy time for anybody in the company, but it was a significant event in the company's history, so these documents are included here.