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Ah, remember when dominos came out and was like, "We know we suck, but we're better now, I swear!" And for a minute, dominos got better. But now? Well now it's

Ah, remember when dominos came out and was like, "We know we suck, but we're better now, I swear!" And for a minute, dominos got better. But now? Well now it's basically back to the same old shenanigans. Maybe it was just my hopeful imagination that convinced me they got better at all? Maybe this is how it goes with Microsoft (just like yahoo). Thinking about it, can anyone cite an example within the last 10 years when a non-founder CEO came in and successfully "turned things around" at a company? I can't.

xordon 10y ago
This wasn't in the last 10 years, but Louis Gerstner turned around IBM in the 90s and wrote a good book about it: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance: https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-Elephants-Cant-Dance/dp/B00DJFX9MY https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-Elephants-Cant-Dance/dp/B00DJ...
- kartD 10y ago
  +1, the book is excellent. It's substantive and illustrates something akin to a pivot for a large, at the time ailing company
- ufo 10y ago
  Those reviews from IBM employees seem to disagree hahaha
joshdickson 10y ago
It's a rare situation in the first place with so many founder-led companies these days. I would dare put David Sacks' name in the ring for what he's doing at Zenefits. Yes, his grade is certainly I for Incomplete at this point, and you can absolutely quibble with not just some of the things that he's done but how he's done them (the narrative that he knew nothing about the insurance fraud after having been there for a year as COO certainly makes me roll my eyes), but you have to admit there is very clearly an adult in the room at that company where there had obviously not been one (or at least one that was taken seriously) in many years. If you want to talk more large cap, you have to admire the job that Meg Whitman has done at HP, particularly now the HPE side. She came into what was really a terrible situation after they finally got rid of Leo Apotheker, who was, frankly, a pathetic leader for them. The company was saddled with unbelievably poor acquisitions, in particular the Autonomy purchase, poorly performing business divisions, and what can only be described as an aging and lethargic workforce. Despite it being really thankless work I would image, the new HPE, especially after the deal to merge most of their low-margin offshore consulting work with CSC, you have to admit is an intriguing company with a positive future ahead of it. She too receives an Incomplete, but what she's done has been impressive to date.
eddz 10y ago
Kaz Hirai is doing pretty well at Sony, all things considered.
dewiz 10y ago
T-mobile US comes to mind as an example
dharmon 10y ago
Maybe you're looking far too restrictively and only thinking of tech companies, because of course it happens. Last 10 years? Alan Mullally at Ford and Richard Anderson at Delta are two off the top of my head.

xordon 10y ago

This wasn't in the last 10 years, but Louis Gerstner turned around IBM in the 90s and wrote a good book about it: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance: https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-Elephants-Cant-Dance/dp/B00DJFX9MY https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-Elephants-Cant-Dance/dp/B00DJ...

kartD 10y ago
+1, the book is excellent. It's substantive and illustrates something akin to a pivot for a large, at the time ailing company
ufo 10y ago
Those reviews from IBM employees seem to disagree hahaha

joshdickson 10y ago

It's a rare situation in the first place with so many founder-led companies these days. I would dare put David Sacks' name in the ring for what he's doing at Zenefits. Yes, his grade is certainly I for Incomplete at this point, and you can absolutely quibble with not just some of the things that he's done but how he's done them (the narrative that he knew nothing about the insurance fraud after having been there for a year as COO certainly makes me roll my eyes), but you have to admit there is very clearly an adult in the room at that company where there had obviously not been one (or at least one that was taken seriously) in many years. If you want to talk more large cap, you have to admire the job that Meg Whitman has done at HP, particularly now the HPE side. She came into what was really a terrible situation after they finally got rid of Leo Apotheker, who was, frankly, a pathetic leader for them. The company was saddled with unbelievably poor acquisitions, in particular the Autonomy purchase, poorly performing business divisions, and what can only be described as an aging and lethargic workforce. Despite it being really thankless work I would image, the new HPE, especially after the deal to merge most of their low-margin offshore consulting work with CSC, you have to admit is an intriguing company with a positive future ahead of it. She too receives an Incomplete, but what she's done has been impressive to date.

eddz 10y ago

Kaz Hirai is doing pretty well at Sony, all things considered.

dewiz 10y ago

T-mobile US comes to mind as an example

dharmon 10y ago

Maybe you're looking far too restrictively and only thinking of tech companies, because of course it happens. Last 10 years? Alan Mullally at Ford and Richard Anderson at Delta are two off the top of my head.