(I did say "generally speaking...") There are some companies that are "unlikely to fail" in the sense that their stock price falls to zero. I would agree that

(I did say "generally speaking...") There are some companies that are "unlikely to fail" in the sense that their stock price falls to zero. I would agree that Microsoft likely falls into that category. But really large companies have "failed" in very short time. Usually as the result of some sort of illegal activity. WorldCom being the obvious example here. (A place where employees were "strongly encouraged" to buy their own stock.) Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and others have also been "too big to fail" - yet failed. The fact that these events are relatively uncommon (for the very large) doesn't negate their impact. Equally less-large companies fail all the time, and so if you work for something a bit smaller it's a prudent strategy to invest you time in one place, and your assets elsewhere.