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I am a little bit out of the loop. A several years back Ghosn was a fairly respected business figure in both France and Japan, which is even more extraordinary

I am a little bit out of the loop. A several years back Ghosn was a fairly respected business figure in both France and Japan, which is even more extraordinary for a non-japanese exec. What happened from there, was there actual corruption or did he piss off the wrong people in Japanese business?

mitchbob 4y ago
Here's a good overview: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing-for-potatoes https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing...
- DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  This paints a very clear picture. Thanks.
- WastingMyTime89 4y ago
  The Japanese sabotaged him to get ride of the French influence on Nissan which is kind of ironic considering that’s what saved them in the first place. They are now doing their best to sabotage Renault’s chances in the EV market. It’s an interesting lesson of international business: don’t ally with the Japanese.
  - jasonhansel 4y ago
    To be clear, there is absolutely evidence that Ghosn violated the law: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fall-of-the-house-of-ghosn-11545003310 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fall-of-the-house-of-ghosn-...
    - skrtskrt 4y ago
      Sure but it seems likely he’s the foreigner fall guy for something rotten across the company executive levels. Japanese megacorps are so intertwined with the government it strains belief to think that everyone was clean except Ghosn
      - bluepizza 4y ago
        They were not clean. They admitted their guilt and made deals.
  - Andrex 4y ago
    "don’t ally with the Japanese." Turnabout is fair play. "In 2014, Emmanuel Macron, then France’s economy minister, pulled a devious stunt under the country’s protectionist Florange Law which doubled the voting rights attached to the French state’s 15 per cent stake in Renault. If this had stood, it would have given the French government ultimate control over Nissan, making it hostage to French political exigencies such as unemployment or the agitations of the gilets jaunes. In the end, Macron’s power grab was limited by the Nissan board, with Ghosn’s support, but the manoeuvre shook the Japanese, and played into suspicions of yet more perfidious designs on the part of the French." Source: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing-for-potatoes https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing... Maybe "don't ally with foreign corporations" is a more accurate truism.
    - WastingMyTime89 4y ago
      That’s just LRB garbage. The Florange Law is not protectionist. It’s in favour of long term investments. That’s the usual right wing tosh from the UK press. The Florange Law doubles the voting rights of everyone holding shares for more than 2 years. That includes the Nissan shares in Renault so the balance between Nissan and the French state remained exactly the same. Plus Renault only holds 45% of Nissan. They don’t have a majority.
- metacritic12 4y ago
  Fwiw, it's a pro-Ghosn article. ChatGPT summary is: - Carlos Ghosn was a senior executive at Renault who was sent to Japan to save the struggling Nissan in 1999. - In his rescue plan, Ghosn proposed cutting jobs, closing factories, and changing the way contracts were awarded. - Ghosn's foreign background, diplomatic skills, and focus on results helped him implement these changes at Nissan. - As chairman of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Ghosn became one of the most successful and powerful executives in the global automotive industry. - In 2018, Ghosn was arrested in Japan on charges of financial misconduct and spent over a year in jail before escaping to Lebanon in 2019. - In 2018, Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, was arrested in Japan on charges of financial misconduct. - Ghosn's arrest was carried out with the help of Nissan executives who opposed Ghosn's plans for a new holding company. - The Japanese legal system, which allows suspects to be detained without charge for long periods of time, was heavily criticized in the case. - Ghosn spent over a year in jail before escaping to Lebanon in 2019. - Many people believed that the charges against Ghosn were politically motivated.
cheriot 4y ago
There's a whole Netflix doc on it
- throwaway2037 4y ago
  This one? "Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn (2022)"

mitchbob 4y ago

Here's a good overview: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing-for-potatoes https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing...

DoingIsLearning 4y ago
This paints a very clear picture. Thanks.
WastingMyTime89 4y ago
The Japanese sabotaged him to get ride of the French influence on Nissan which is kind of ironic considering that’s what saved them in the first place. They are now doing their best to sabotage Renault’s chances in the EV market. It’s an interesting lesson of international business: don’t ally with the Japanese.
- jasonhansel 4y ago
  To be clear, there is absolutely evidence that Ghosn violated the law: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fall-of-the-house-of-ghosn-11545003310 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fall-of-the-house-of-ghosn-...
  - skrtskrt 4y ago
    Sure but it seems likely he’s the foreigner fall guy for something rotten across the company executive levels. Japanese megacorps are so intertwined with the government it strains belief to think that everyone was clean except Ghosn
    - bluepizza 4y ago
      They were not clean. They admitted their guilt and made deals.
- Andrex 4y ago
  "don’t ally with the Japanese." Turnabout is fair play. "In 2014, Emmanuel Macron, then France’s economy minister, pulled a devious stunt under the country’s protectionist Florange Law which doubled the voting rights attached to the French state’s 15 per cent stake in Renault. If this had stood, it would have given the French government ultimate control over Nissan, making it hostage to French political exigencies such as unemployment or the agitations of the gilets jaunes. In the end, Macron’s power grab was limited by the Nissan board, with Ghosn’s support, but the manoeuvre shook the Japanese, and played into suspicions of yet more perfidious designs on the part of the French." Source: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing-for-potatoes https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n02/james-lasdun/fishing... Maybe "don't ally with foreign corporations" is a more accurate truism.
  - WastingMyTime89 4y ago
    That’s just LRB garbage. The Florange Law is not protectionist. It’s in favour of long term investments. That’s the usual right wing tosh from the UK press. The Florange Law doubles the voting rights of everyone holding shares for more than 2 years. That includes the Nissan shares in Renault so the balance between Nissan and the French state remained exactly the same. Plus Renault only holds 45% of Nissan. They don’t have a majority.
metacritic12 4y ago
Fwiw, it's a pro-Ghosn article. ChatGPT summary is: - Carlos Ghosn was a senior executive at Renault who was sent to Japan to save the struggling Nissan in 1999. - In his rescue plan, Ghosn proposed cutting jobs, closing factories, and changing the way contracts were awarded. - Ghosn's foreign background, diplomatic skills, and focus on results helped him implement these changes at Nissan. - As chairman of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Ghosn became one of the most successful and powerful executives in the global automotive industry. - In 2018, Ghosn was arrested in Japan on charges of financial misconduct and spent over a year in jail before escaping to Lebanon in 2019. - In 2018, Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, was arrested in Japan on charges of financial misconduct. - Ghosn's arrest was carried out with the help of Nissan executives who opposed Ghosn's plans for a new holding company. - The Japanese legal system, which allows suspects to be detained without charge for long periods of time, was heavily criticized in the case. - Ghosn spent over a year in jail before escaping to Lebanon in 2019. - Many people believed that the charges against Ghosn were politically motivated.

cheriot 4y ago

There's a whole Netflix doc on it

throwaway2037 4y ago
This one? "Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn (2022)"