Commentary on a slow death

[Pie]

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