An accountant, a statistician and a lawyer interview for an executive position with a large corporation. At the end of the interviewing and testing, all three are dead even in the competition, so the board of directors decides to ask each applicant a final question.
First, the board calls in the accountant. They ask him "what is two plus two?"
The accountant looks at the board members like they're mildly insane and says: "Any fool can tell you that two plus two is four."
The board thanks him and promises to let him know the results of his interview. The board calls in the statistician. "What is two plus two?" they ask.
The statistician gets very excited, runs to the whiteboard, sketches out a complex formula and says: "After extensive research, statistical analysis and discussion with colleagues in the field of mathematics, the formula we have discovered demonstrates that two plus two equals some number between 3.861 and 4.297." The board thanks him and dismisses him.
Finally, the board invites the lawyer into the room. They ask the same question: "what is two plus two?"
The lawyer stands up, walks to the door, opens it, checks outside the room, closes and locks the door, checks the windows and draws the blinds. Smirking slyly, he leans over the conference table, and in a conspiratorial whisper says: "okay...what do you guys want it to be?"
First, the board calls in the accountant. They ask him "what is two plus two?"
The accountant looks at the board members like they're mildly insane and says: "Any fool can tell you that two plus two is four."
The board thanks him and promises to let him know the results of his interview. The board calls in the statistician. "What is two plus two?" they ask.
The statistician gets very excited, runs to the whiteboard, sketches out a complex formula and says: "After extensive research, statistical analysis and discussion with colleagues in the field of mathematics, the formula we have discovered demonstrates that two plus two equals some number between 3.861 and 4.297." The board thanks him and dismisses him.
Finally, the board invites the lawyer into the room. They ask the same question: "what is two plus two?"
The lawyer stands up, walks to the door, opens it, checks outside the room, closes and locks the door, checks the windows and draws the blinds. Smirking slyly, he leans over the conference table, and in a conspiratorial whisper says: "okay...what do you guys want it to be?"