Cubewise’s Post

One of the most nerve-racking things I had to do in my career was to do a presentation, where the inventor of the technology I was presenting on, was sitting in the audience. In true Manny style, Manny came up to me after my presentation with his calm and inquisitive demeanour and put me right at ease, I wish I spoke to him prior to my presentation ;0) While Manny was always the smartest person in the room by far, he was always so humble and engaging, even though Manny was operating on higher intellectual level than the rest of us.  You will always be remembered, thank-you Manny

Vale Manny Perez. I remember working with TM1 in the early 90s after spending years writing my own Budgeting, Planning and Consolidation systems, only to later find TM1 spreading enthusiastically throughout the organisation I was working for back then. It was such a transformative revelation to finance, the likes that were perhaps only matched by the birth of spreadsheets. His invention certainly changed my career and it was still a highlight and pleasure when I later got to be the Asia Pac leader for TM1 at IBM in the late 2000s. So sad to hear of Manny's passing and I hope his family can take some comfort from the fact that he changed so many lives and businesses for the better and his legacy will live on forever.

This is such sad news. Manny mentored me in TM1 in 1992-93 when I was a Financial Analyst at Kraft General Foods. We had acquired the technology from Breyers Ice Cream via acquisition. Once I understood the power behind the in-memory, real-time functionality, it changed the direction of my career - and my life. I had the good fortune of working alongside Manny at Applix for several years before we sold to Cognos, then IBM. I am forever grateful to Manny. I will always honor his memory. RIP my teacher, my colleague, my friend. You will be missed. You - and your family - are in my thoughts and prayers. God speed my friend.

Dear Manny. So sorry to hear this news; our thoughts are with Maria and family. I had the privelege to work closely with Manny for many years, driving TM1 in Europe in the Sinper days and then responsible for TM1 product management and product marketing in Applix. As others have said here, the most brilliant mind with the most lovely heart. During the many, many hours of discussions we had on how constantly to improve TM1, Manny was always balanced and thoughtful; never playing the "it's my baby card", always looking for ways to enhance our customers' experiences and attract new customers. Without attachment. The early years were heady and exciting; our customer conferences were energising - everyone wanted a bit of Manny and he always delivered his magic. Manny was considered a legend by many of the thousands of customers that I met all over the world; he created something extraordinary that transformed many lives, including my own. Innumerable customers built their careers by bringing TM1 into their organisations, it was that inspiring. RIP you lovely man.

Seeing the outpouring of love and appreciation for Manny is overwhelming. His impact on the world is immense because at the core of what he did was always who he was - a deeply sympathetic, forgiving and humble soul. It is an unfathomable and evergreen achievement that this spirit was somehow embedded into the software he invented and inspired so many lightbulb moments around the world. And he will continue to inspire these lightbulb moments far into the future. We miss you Manny.

Such heartbreaking news. As so many have said, Manny had such a positive influence on countless lives and careers. I remember visiting him at his office back in the Sinper days in the early 90s to toss around ideas on the next generation of TM1. That was back before the days of Rules, TI and even a Windows version! Manny was kind, thoughtful (in a beard stroking kind of way) and brilliant. I am forever grateful for what he built, what he taught me and the impact he had on my life. My heart goes out to his family and the global TM1 community at this time. Manny...you will be missed!

My last year at Applix (before we were acquired by Cognos), we 'splurged' on a Keynote Speaker for our annual customer conference - Adam West, the OG Batman. The theme of our customer conference was 'TM1 Superheroes' and we thought Adam West would be the ideal keynote to kick off the conference (he was also one of the few personalities that we could afford). He killed it. Weaved his personal story into the Applix journey and had the entire audience spellbound for 45 minutes. When Adam West finished and the emcee announced a 15 minute break, nearly half the audience made a beeline for Manny Perez, who was sitting alone in a dimly lit corner of the hotel ballroom. (A single groupie accosted Adam West.) I watched as these awestruck TM1 users approached Manny with a combination of admiration and reverence. Taking pictures with him (pre iPhone). Asking for autographs. Sheepishly leaning in for simple embraces. Manny was Humble. Smart. Loyal. Charismatic. A very special person. He helped me put my 6 kids through college. Manny will be missed. My heartfelt condolences to his family.

I'll never forget the time I was presenting on stage with Manny, and he introduced me to the audience as "the real expert with TM1". I was so awe-stuck to even be sharing the stage with the legendary Manny Perez, and here he was being all humble and pumping me up instead. Manny's work has, without a doubt, shaped my career and my life.  Farewell Manny, you'll be missed!

Manny, a man that offered much more than TM1, but yes, TM1 is his legacy. His dry sense of humour will be remembered as well. From the first time I met him in 1999, he demonstrated what humble looks like. May he rest in peace, and may his family and friends he left behind find peace and comfort in this challenging time.

What a marvellous pioneer of software, to whom we are grateful for inventing a landmark system that gave careers to so many.