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I would argue that the real demise of Lucent was caused not by the telecom implosion, but by bad financials managed by those self-same MBAs. The real sin was in the debt position the company took.
Technology companies can't survive with debt. They were still thinking in fuzzy-headed utility company mode. There was no need for it, either -- if they had floated a few million more stock, they could have cleared it easily. They would have survived the eventual marked meltdown, certainly with layoffs, downsizing and a much reduced stock price, but not needing to sell off and spin off all their core assets.
Well, at least I got a piece of it when it was great. What a ride!
- Pie, Bell Labs alumna
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per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions
The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.
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