Death of a Salesman revisited

…are algos taking over from 'shoeshine and a smile'?

“Can you explain to me why this feature [and I named one] is missing in your suite of products,” I asked the India sales head of a world-famous multinational software product company.

“That’s confidential,” he said.

I wondered whether he was pulling my leg and I scrutinised his face closely — it was smiling very respectfully.

“Can you tell me which reputed companies in India are using this product?” I asked him.

“That’s confidential,” he said again with the same respectfully smiling face.

“All the data you need to make a decision, sir, is available on our website,” he said to me.

After I bade a