4 ms·

I've seen a lot of excuses from CEO's for why they aren't responsible for their actions but "I didn't have adult supervision" takes the cake.

ineedasername 4y ago
Eh, Holmes was 19 when she dropped out of colleges. Despite legal adulthood, people are disproportionately stupid and/or naive at that age. It by no means excuses what she did and I think her sentence was at least reasonable and perhaps too lenient. But I think age and the lack of more experienced people with level heads around her is 1) a slight mitigating circumstance and 2) partly her own fault. In short, adult supervision should at least be a consideration. Had she be 17 at the start, a difference of a mere two years, that might seem more clear (to some). Legal adulthood at 18 doesn’t confer some magical maturity and wisdom so we shouldn’t regard it much differently than 25-27. To preempt arguments that this went on without Sunny for some years after she turned 19: 1) Plenty of people with some experience and maturity could have been in her circle of influence before then and 2) I did say age was only a slight mitigating circumstance.
- highwaylights 4y ago
  I don't disagree with any of what you've said here but then that means the problem is the system itself. If teenagers aren't responsible enough to run companies, the law shouldn't allow them to run companies. Make the minimum age of running a company 25. I imagine a lot of YCombinator founders would disagree with this, but I also imagine those same people would agree that they're responsible for their actions. I also imagine the Carmacks/Zuckerbergs/Jobs/Gates of the world would take umbrage with such a ban. What shouldn't happen is allowing someone leniency after fraudulently running a health company that has caused harm to innocent people.
dmix 4y ago
That's a deliberate over simplification of what that comment said.
- highwaylights 4y ago
  It is and it isn't. My point was that regardless of anything else going on, when you're the CEO, and your business card says "CEO", then it happened on your watch (the first rule of leadership being everything is your fault etc.)

ineedasername 4y ago

Eh, Holmes was 19 when she dropped out of colleges. Despite legal adulthood, people are disproportionately stupid and/or naive at that age. It by no means excuses what she did and I think her sentence was at least reasonable and perhaps too lenient. But I think age and the lack of more experienced people with level heads around her is 1) a slight mitigating circumstance and 2) partly her own fault. In short, adult supervision should at least be a consideration. Had she be 17 at the start, a difference of a mere two years, that might seem more clear (to some). Legal adulthood at 18 doesn’t confer some magical maturity and wisdom so we shouldn’t regard it much differently than 25-27. To preempt arguments that this went on without Sunny for some years after she turned 19: 1) Plenty of people with some experience and maturity could have been in her circle of influence before then and 2) I did say age was only a slight mitigating circumstance.

highwaylights 4y ago
I don't disagree with any of what you've said here but then that means the problem is the system itself. If teenagers aren't responsible enough to run companies, the law shouldn't allow them to run companies. Make the minimum age of running a company 25. I imagine a lot of YCombinator founders would disagree with this, but I also imagine those same people would agree that they're responsible for their actions. I also imagine the Carmacks/Zuckerbergs/Jobs/Gates of the world would take umbrage with such a ban. What shouldn't happen is allowing someone leniency after fraudulently running a health company that has caused harm to innocent people.

dmix 4y ago

That's a deliberate over simplification of what that comment said.

highwaylights 4y ago
It is and it isn't. My point was that regardless of anything else going on, when you're the CEO, and your business card says "CEO", then it happened on your watch (the first rule of leadership being everything is your fault etc.)