Its worked quite well in a number of areas -- it tends to be good for sustainable growth, rather than adventurism, as the owners are concerned more about keepin

Its worked quite well in a number of areas -- it tends to be good for sustainable growth, rather than adventurism, as the owners are concerned more about keeping the company sustainable and healthy than rapid growth. And the feel-good factor of it being a community organisation means people like to give it their custom. John Lewis, one of the UK's largest retailers (annual turnover about £10bn) with one of the best-respected brand is employee-owned under a cooperative structure. In terms of rescuing businesses from big egos doing badly, Portsmouth FC was rescued by a fan take-over after a number of disastrous owners who'd saddled the club with debt and left it on the verge of liquidation. It's now on a healthier footing and starting the climb back up the leagues. For Twitter, which was in a strong position to become a social utility, it's probably not a bad model. But it doesn't involve going out in a blaze of glory, so executives will hate it.