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When the board fires you for wrongdoing it is like being deported from a foreign country for breaking that country’s laws. You can’t just go against that decis

When the board fires you for wrongdoing it is like being deported from a foreign country for breaking that country’s laws. You can’t just go against that decision. It would be like telling the government that no, in fact they are the ones who are wrong and no, I didn’t break the law it is in fact their laws which are broken. When you have irreconcilable differences with the board you could theoretically jump ship and start a rival company. Usually, in practice, that’s impossibly hard and yet Microsoft announced that they intended to do exactly that with funding and stock matching. For some reason that was turned down in favor of staging the equivalent of an in-country coup. If you get caught breaking the law on vacation abroad and your response to being arrested is to take control of the country in retaliation then you are a very powerful, persuasive, or threatening person indeed.

tibbar 2y ago
Indeed, it was stunning. The Board outranked the CEO and had the right to replace him. What they didn't reckon on was that technically, if the entire company is willing to quit on behalf of the CEO, then they as a body outrank the board. And that was that, pretty much.
makeitdouble 2y ago
> It would be like telling the government that no, in fact they are the ones who are wrong and no, I didn’t break the law it is in fact their laws which are broken. You know a number of people are in that position though. My first thought went to Samsung's chairman who will break the law and go to prison, but the country will have him back, bending over backwards to somewhat have it make sense.
- mac-attack 2y ago
  > It would be like telling the government that no, in fact they are the ones who are wrong and no, I didn’t break the law it is in fact their laws which are broken. Reminds me of the Wirecard scandal doc on Netflix. Wirecard was so powerful that the financial regulators (BaFin) started targeting journalists and actively defending a publicly traded company.

tibbar 2y ago

Indeed, it was stunning. The Board outranked the CEO and had the right to replace him. What they didn't reckon on was that technically, if the entire company is willing to quit on behalf of the CEO, then they as a body outrank the board. And that was that, pretty much.

makeitdouble 2y ago

> It would be like telling the government that no, in fact they are the ones who are wrong and no, I didn’t break the law it is in fact their laws which are broken. You know a number of people are in that position though. My first thought went to Samsung's chairman who will break the law and go to prison, but the country will have him back, bending over backwards to somewhat have it make sense.

mac-attack 2y ago
> It would be like telling the government that no, in fact they are the ones who are wrong and no, I didn’t break the law it is in fact their laws which are broken. Reminds me of the Wirecard scandal doc on Netflix. Wirecard was so powerful that the financial regulators (BaFin) started targeting journalists and actively defending a publicly traded company.