There seems to be a disconnect. The Jeff Skilling who is sitting in prison is the real Jeff Skilling. But the Jeff Skilling that they sent to prison is NOT the real Jeff Skilling. The flesh and blood man is not the “Jeff Skilling” you hear about on the news, the shorthand for “Enron”, “fraud”, “conspiracy”, “bankruptcy”. The word – Jeffskilling – is an artificial construct, no more real than the pretty girl the magician cuts in half with a saw.
The real Jeff Skilling proved a thousand times that he didn’t really care about money. When he had the opportunity to take a fortune from Enron, he didn’t. He left $50 million on the table because he wanted to set a good example for the leadership of the company. When Enron owed him $2 million to pay off a personal loan, he left that money too, and paid back the loan with his own money. When employees needed medical services that were not covered by the insurance Enron provided, he paid for them with his own money. When a new mother forgot to file her insurance claim in time, Jeff saw to it that the deadline for filing the forms was extended, reasoning that new mothers are busy with their babies and it seemed an unfair burden to have such a short deadline to file – which would increase the financial responsibility of Enron.
The real Jeff Skilling loved Enron. It was Jeff Skilling who begged new Enron president Greg Whalley to bring him back when the company faltered. It was the real Jeff Skilling who, with Cliff Baxter and a few others, tried desperately to pool their own money to help the company when it was collapsing. It was the real Jeff Skilling who spoiled Enron employees, believing that there were opportunities to be frugal, but one shouldn’t be miserly to the people working for you.
The real Jeff Skilling is brilliant and funny and sweet. The real Jeff Skilling loves to eat at Arby’s. The real Jeff Skilling likes jokes. The real Jeff Skilling doesn’t use his intelligence as a weapon, but as a tool. And he would never use it as a blunt instrument to commit horrible crimes.
The real Jeff Skilling is a guy you’d be lucky to call your friend. The thing the jury convicted is not Jeff Skilling; that was just an idea. It wasn’t true, and it was not real. It was like convicting the boogey man. It was just nonsense.
But the real Jeff Skilling is still alive. The real Jeff Skilling still exists, and it’s still possible to save him.
Petrocelli could have used this type of testimony during the trial.
Best regards.
I could not agree more. Granted, I’ve never met the individual we know as Jeff Skilling, from what I saw of his trail, the man was a scapegoat. Is it possible he knew the cards were falling? Possible. Did he do his best, however, to ensure it didn’t? You bet. This man was at the healm of a massive orginazation. One which demanded profits above all else. Those stock holders who hung him to dry, also nailed him to the wall in their relentless demands for higher profits. I wish this could have been a fair trial.
Chris,
Thank you for your comment. You are not alone. With ever increasing frequency, I’m getting emails from people who believe that Jeff, and indeed all Enron defendants (we can not forget the Broadband Three or the NatWest Three) were scapegoated to justify the existence of the Enron Task Force.
Jeff Skilling was and is a great man. He is honest and kind and generous. He loved Enron. He would never have allowed a conspiracy at Enron. Ever. Period.
Get the real fucking crooks the banks CITI JP MORGAN CHASE and the rest of the scum lawyers and throw Arthur Anderson employees in GITMO. Don’t forget that piece of shit traitor Bush and his whole fucking family
Dude, I approved your asinine comment because I wanted to demonstrate the kind of mindless rage out there.
Employees at Arthur Andersen, and the banks, did nothing wrong. Bush is not a traitor.
The problem here isn’t Bush/Enron/AA, etc. It’s you – you’re obviously blinded with hatred. It’s irrational.
Cara, why does your corporate web site not exist?
More smoke and mirrors, perhaps?
Please read Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald and switch your medication (or don;t mix it with alcohol). Your comment is void of facts and full of moral judgment (e.g., “The real Jeff Skilling is brilliant and funny and sweet.”). No question some will buy into it, after all, New Age did work for lots of people in the 90′s. You may view my comment as part of the “mindless rage”, but trust me, the only mindless here is you writing that bizarre, fact-less and romantic description of a convicted felon. Keep up the good work
Um, I’ve read that piece of crap. And my moral judgements are based on my own personal experiences with the man. If you don’t like this post, you should stay away from the Enron Index.
The worldwide damage done by his egocentric behaviour is so huge and still you cant see it… you have been brain-washed by idiotic american corporation ideology.Get help and grow out of wonderland! good luck to you
So funny to me that people who clearly do not read my blog, come here and trash Jeff Skilling and then expect that I will come around to their way of thinking.
Your socialist crap is not welcome here, weasel.
Wow, fireworks in the comments section. I have also read that book, and it is a book, nearly fiction. If you believe Eichenwald was magically lying under Skilling’s bed with his former wife jotting down notes, then you have been duped. It makes for exciting reading, but please don’t confuse it with truth. To give you an idea, I have spoken with several people that know Jeff, and they have been very kind but have been steadfast in their avoidance of giving out ANY details, due to lingering lawsuits and appeals. I find it amazing that someone could take Kurt’s book as fact considering the main characters in his book were barred from speaking to anyone due to the case, and would’ve had no reason to talk to him, anyway. The book is fiction, unless Kurt had telepathy, as well as the foresight to tap into the brains of Enron’s executive branch for the 10 years leading up to the company’s downfall.
Eichenwald’s book is fiction promoted by the DOJ. Only Cara’s book even comes close to getting the truth.
* guilty on one count of conspiracy
* guilty on one count of insider trading
* guilty on five counts of making false statements to auditors
* guilty on twelve counts of securities fraud
* not guilty on nine counts of insider trading
it doesnt get any more complicated than that.
Cara
I know Jeff very well and his family. The Jeff you described is very accurate. He is funny, self depreciating, fun, and loved that company more than life. I would hear my social associates quote from those books as if they knew him, and it was laughable. I don’t know how you found your facts on the real Jeff, but its the most accurate description, and shocking. I never thought I would ever read anything truthful about who he was.
Lmao,
I have made it my mission to write the truth about Enron, not the story the fantasists mindlessly recite. I’m writing a book about Enron and believe it will start to undo the damage that all the other books have done.
Thanks for your kind words.
by way of whom did you get your real description?
Cara,
I knew Jeff when we were fraternity brothers together at SMU. When I was going through a painful divorce in 1999, he was the first guy to extend a helping hand. I worked at Enron from 1999 until the bankruptcy, then stayed on with the estate for 6 months.
If Jeff ever needs a character reference, I’ll be the first to step forward.
Best regards,
Vince
Hi Vince,
How do you send Jeff some letter of support while he is in jail? I wonder if he gets any mail–fan mail or hate mail.
Thanks.
Hi Olivier,
I lost touch with Jeff when he left Enron in 2001, and we haven’t spoken since. I did send him email at the end of his tenure there, one of which is still posted on the Internet, but he never replied. Given the circumstances, I know he had his hands full.
Perhaps Cara has some contact information she can share with us?
Best regards,
Vince
Shoot me an email.
Cara,
I confirmed with the Bureau of Prisons today that Jeff can be contacted, as follows:
JEFFREY K. SKILLING, REGISTER NO. 29296-179
FCI ENGLEWOOD
9595 WEST QUINCY AVENUE
LITTLETON, CO 80123
Best regards,
Vince
Since I’ve gotten quite a few emails about this:
That is Jeff’s address. Please be aware that he probably will not answer right now. He is preparing for his SCOTUS appeal and his lawyers have him locked down pretty tight.
So write him if you wish, but know that if he replies, it will probably be at some point after the SCOTUS decision.
Regardless of what type of guy he is, we should all agree on this:
1. if he knew of the issues in the company and did nothing about it then he was a poor leader; and
2. if he nothing of the issues in the company then he was a poor leader.
But he was neither. He could not have known things that people were deliberately keeping from. Andy Fastow said during the trial that he was involved in a conspiracy and did not want to be discovered.
Cara,
I’ve just re-stumbled upon this blog (i apologize for not checking back sooner). I’m happy to see that the thread is picking up some comments. It does, however, sadden me to see a number of blatant misinformed posts. Not sure who posted the address for Jeff Skilling, but i do intend on shooting him a letter. Thank you.
On occasion I Google Jeff to see if there is any good news. What a nice surprise to stumble upon this blog and read some positive facts and opinions!
Any news on how things are looking for him?
Cara, I have an interesting, and I think, somewhat important “fact” to share with you if you would like to contact me.
Sorry to bring the facts home for a second but Skilling sold $60 million worth of stock one month after he resigned from Enron. He’s a liar, crook and deserves everything he gets. He and his kind are scum of the business world.
So? There was nothing illegal about selling his stock a month after he left Enron.
He is not a liar or a crook. The record is clear on these facts.
He is a business hero. I eagerly await his release from prison.
Skilling quit Enron because he knew the cat was out of the bag and he was at the top of the food chain. What company do you know of that President hasn’t a clue what’s going on? That’s right none! Skilling not only knew what was going on but directed others to keep it under wraps.
Skilling was tried and found guilty WITHOUT A REASONABLE DOUBT not on just one charge but 27 counts including making false statements to auditors…..and he didn’t have a clue what was going on……hmmmmmmmm?
Skilling is an arrogant con man that got lost in greed and personal appetite for power.
A CEO is responsible for the corporation, its people and all transactions regardless…..that’s his responsibility and his job!
Guilty as charged – WITHOUT A DOUBT!
To address each of your uninformed opinions:
Skilling quit Enron because he knew the cat was out of the bag and he was at the top of the food chain.
Skilling quit because there was a problem with one of his children and he wanted to spend time with them. The prosecution agreed to protect the minor child’s identity at trial, and then promptly accused him of leaving for other reasons when they knew it was not the case.
What company do you know of that President hasn’t a clue what’s going on? That’s right none!
Skilling never used the “ostrich” defense. Why are you bringing it up?
Skilling not only knew what was going on but directed others to keep it under wraps.
Actually no. Fastow said that he tried to keep his dishonest deeds from Skilling.
Skilling was tried and found guilty WITHOUT A REASONABLE DOUBT not on just one charge but 27 counts including making false statements to auditors…..and he didn’t have a clue what was going on……hmmmmmmmm?
Do you know what those “false statements” were? They were auditor letters, which were signed by nine other people in the C-suite before they got to his desk.
Skilling is an arrogant con man that got lost in greed and personal appetite for power.
He wanted power so he quit?
He was greedy so he left $150 million that was owed to him on the table?
A CEO is responsible for the corporation, its people and all transactions regardless…..that’s his responsibility and his job!
Do not attempt to lecture me on what a CEO does.
Guilty as charged – WITHOUT A DOUBT!
Actually there is a lot of doubt, which is why his case is before the Supreme Court of the United States.
No there isn’t lots of doubt.
As we all know there is a law for the rich and famous that is not equal to the average person in this country. Millions of dollars can “buy” lawyers that will work overtime to find something they can argue. Remember the OJ trial……innocent!!
Well it’s really strange how some peoples blogs support everyone who was convicted at Enron…..thank God they are not in power because this country hasn’t seen corruption until they get in power!! Then you have to think, what in it for them…….time will tell. I bet they are Republican too!!
The Supreme Court agreed to rule on claims that “searing media attacks” on longtime Enron executive Jeffrey K. Skilling tainted his criminal trial and conviction on various fraud charges. The case of Skilling v. U.S. (08-1394) also raises an issue on the scope of the federal law punishing the failure to provide “honest services” as a corporate executive.
Must be nice to spend tens of millions on lawyers from money you stole!!
You did not answer ANY of my issues.
No there isn’t lots of doubt.
As we all know there is a law for the rich and famous that is not equal to the average person in this country.
Bullshit. Then WHY IS HE IN PRISON? If he used his wealth, why is he in prison?
Millions of dollars can “buy” lawyers that will work overtime to find something they can argue.
You have a laughably stupid notion of how lawyers work. Oh, and his attorneys have not been paid since 2006.
Remember the OJ trial……innocent!!
Well it’s really strange how some peoples blogs support everyone who was convicted at Enron…..
If there are “some peoples [sic] blogs” who support Skilling, perhaps that is because they see the obvious miscarriages of justice in the Skilling case.
thank God they are not in power because this country hasn’t seen corruption until they get in power!! Then you have to think, what in it for them…….time will tell. I bet they are Republican too!!
Oh God. You’re such a moron.
The Supreme Court agreed to rule on claims that “searing media attacks” on longtime Enron executive Jeffrey K. Skilling tainted his criminal trial and conviction on various fraud charges. The case of Skilling v. U.S. (08-1394) also raises an issue on the scope of the federal law punishing the failure to provide “honest services” as a corporate executive.
Keep googling. You don’t have the faintest understanding of the issues at hand.
Must be nice to spend tens of millions on lawyers from money you stole!!
He didn’t steal anything.
And we are done here.
Cara mio,
I think I have quite an unobscured and independent view of this case, being the only European investigative journalist who attended the entire Enron trial and the last witness speaking on sentencing day. Apart from being the only one Jeff granted an interview in the street after quite an interesting psychological chessfare in the courtroom during all these weeks… including real time acts in the crosswalk to the Bank of America during lunchtime, including differents placards and clothing-switching at the bench in front of the courthouse.
My address to Justice Lake III was that he was not competent to have global crime judged by a local jury. I was stopped by the FBI from making my point at that time.
They very well knew my intentions as I had a conversation with two of the federal prosecutors, just before trial and the head of the Enron Task Force reviewed my filed complaint against Lee Raymond and G.W. Bush with the US Attorney-general.
Please let me know if there might be an opportunity to speak on march 1 at the Supreme Court, you might be aware of. I would fly from Europe for the occasion.
http://bit.ly/nipPy New York Times slideshow-2nd picture.
http://bit.ly/3oPnv. Video Enron complexxon.
Google “Exxon Shell” videos.
Sincerely,
Stephan Tychon
chief officer of change
World Stability Council
http://newsc.eu
Jeff Skilling was attacked by you after his grueling trial, and was being polite by speaking to you, which speaks to Jeff’s character.
Jeff did not commit any crime, much less a “global crime”.
You were stopped by the bailiff who kept you at the back of the court room, and by Judge Lake, who pointed out that you had not filed paperwork to speak at the sentencing.
If indeed the “head of the ETF” (Berkowitz?) was reviewing your documents, I wouldn’t necessarily say it is a good thing that you were thus stopped from speaking.
Under no circumstances will you be permitted to speak at the Supreme Court. Only Skilling’s attorney will be permitted to speak, and the prosecutor. There are no witnesses like at trial.
Also, to address your point of view directly, you have no business speaking at his sentencing or the Supreme Court or anywhere else. You are not elected “global view point”. The American justice system usually does not take into consideration the viewpoints of random strangers with strange conspiracies.
Again: Jeff committed NO CRIME, not here in the USA and certainly not in Europe.
Cara,
I’m convinced that Jeff Skilling does not belong in prison. He’s a victim as well as many others. Nobody escapes the global crime paradigm. Jeff was smart, sincere, dedicated and indeed always polite, but also under pressure to outsmart and outperform. That’s how business works and is done.
I don’t see any unwarranted arrogance in his overall behavior. I can tell, because I’m very perceptive and experienced in this regard. Not only as a European citizen, less a random stranger with strange ideas – let alone conspiracies. In fact, I mean resulting from factual, past evidence, being the son of the architect and groundlayer of Europe’s natural gas distribution network , I am the only one who can legally claim enough overview to claim a “global view point” regarding devastating imposed energy fundamentals. You are not going to take that away from me, but I nevertheless appreciate your reactions and the fact you’re not deleting my remarks.
I was not stopped from speaking at sentencing day, nor kept “at the back of the courtroom by the bailiff” . I was in the front of the courtroom where the other two witnesses spoke before me and after the judge invited me to “step forward”. I was stopped after I explained the judge that I had been talking to the prosecutors while filing my interests in the case. He had asked if I send a letter to the court, and I thought speaking to the prosecutors as responsible for the procedings is even better. In general I proceed straight to the head in person.
The head of the ETF was Michael E. Anderson, not Sean Berkowitz, by the way.
The Enwrong trial will indeed prove “wrong”, also without my interference.
Sincerely,
Stephan Tychon
Enron Trail Witness & Trial Victim
Michael Anderson is an FBI agent. Berkowitz, for a time, was the “head” of the ETF.
You were not permitted to speak. The reason you were not permitted to speak was you had not filed paperwork and you had no claim to speak, i.e., you were not a victim of Enron.
Speaking to the prosecutors is not difficult to do. I do it every day. It doesn’t mean you’re a witness, or even that they took you seriously.
Sorry Cara,
Judge Lake invited me to step forward and speak.
So I did, and it is in the court transcripts as a fact for anybody to research.
You’re more than right: Michael E. Anderson who reviewed my papers was the only reputable, true and constant FBI factor, being the chief of the Bureau’s economic crime squad and named Supervisory Special Agent controlling all the “distinguished” ETF prosecutors’ revolving door to much more rewarding private practice positions.
In fact he overviewed the chicken den’s total incompetence while trying to make the best of it.
I rember him as a dedicated, serious, spontanious and very open straightforward conversation partner as he sat beside me for several days in court.
So, when Sean Berkowitz (kein Witz!) followed Andrew Weissman as head of the ETF amidst “rumblings of prosecutorial misconduct” when Weissman left for (better!) private practices, Ken Lay filed his motion just a few days earlier as a fact to observe in judging prosecuters private interests and their account to structural “in-house judging” by the court, questioning the Justice’s discretionary power and competence in general.
I hope this will be weighed-in bij the Supreme Court Justices, and will certainly advance Jeff’s position as a victim of a crooked and unfair judicial system that systematicly undermines the progress of humanity, be it groups of capitalists or / either, groups of socialists, anarchists, communists… Or what else have you?
Cheers
Judge Lake asked, “is there anyone else who wishes to speak?”
You said yes. He said step forward. You were not listed as someone who was scheduled to speak. He asked you to sit down.
He “invited” you as much as he was following procedures. You still haven’t explained why you’re calling yourself a witness at the trial.
Being the last man on the stand, I not only told mister Lake that I was disappointed in the court’s procedings and that I talked to these prosecuters, but clearly indicated his main problem: a lack of overview and competence to conduct a globally tangled case before a local jury.
I was the only speaker who represented the international community to address the lack of coherence between facts and fiction. There was a lot of overt science-fiction during the trial.
At one point Lake told somebody “…you know that’s not proper..” I would like to learn the context from somebody who remembers. It clearly indicates the dubious atmosphere and poor argumentation. Whomever he addressed.
Stephan Tychon
chief officer of change
World Stability Council
http://www.newsc.eu
I don’t know Jeff Skilling and I certainly don’t know anything in detail about the disastrous collapse of Enron, which had terrible repercussions. I do know Jeff’s brother, Tom, though. I recently had a chance to discuss this situation briefly with Tom, who has steadfastly supported his brother, as one might expect. I’d expect nothing less from Tom, who is as warm and genuine as any human I’ve ever met – a credit to us all. It might be rather naive to imply that because one brother is a good man, the other must be, as well. But I also believe it’s quite possible to believe that Jeff was a scapegoat. I hope that real justice can be done, whatever the outcome.
Hi Chuck,
All of Jeff’s siblings and extended family support him. I am happy Jeff has such a good, strong family.
While it is simplistic to say that just because one brother is good, the other is too. But in the case of the Skilling brothers, it is true.
Thank you for your comment!
A) Why do you care
B) Where is your documentation/video evidence to back-up your claims about the “corrupt” trial.
C) Just because he appears to be a “good guy” doesn’t mean he can’t commit a crime. There are many of these cases out there from the straight A college kid illegally downloading music to the high ranking church leader running a pyramid scheme.
D) Convicted on 19 counts. Our judicial system can’t be THAT misguided to get it wrong 19 times.
A.) You can read why I care here.
B. Please, feel free to review the whole website. There are a lot of videos/trial transcripts/other things here at the Enron Index.
C. He is a good guy who didn’t commit any crimes.
D. Yes it can. Oh yes, it can. Do some research. Read the comments from others who have challenged me; they bring up good points which I’ve answered.
If you have any specific issue you’d like to challenge me about, please feel free.
Hi cara,
First let me just say that I believe Jeff Skilling is a visionary, a very talented leader and a very smart person in general. His work, even before Enron, has been very impressive and his business skills are something to be feared. (meant that as a compliment
.
But do you honestly, without a doubt, believe that Mr. Skilling had absolutely NO idea about what was going on at Enron and that he was just an innocent bystander or “scapegoat”? The guy is no fool and a high school senior could take one look at the books and figure out that something’s not right . He was the one who pushed for Mark-to-market accounting and was quite aware of the fraud being committed.
I say this because I refuse to believe that a Top level executive of a Multi-billion dollar company does not know how or from the money is going and coming. Agreed that he was no accountant but one doesn’t just become a CEO by being naive and dumb…
Also another point which leads me to believe in Mr. Skillings guilt is that why did he sell of all those shares?? if he honestly believed that Enron was in perfect financial health when he left (like he said in court), then why sell off soooo many shares?? When was the last time you met a CEO who sold off his shares because the company was in perfect financial health??
All these things and more do lead me to believe that he had a part in the scandal and was quite aware of what was happening at Enron.
Lastly I say that the whole thing is unfortunate…Money and power corrupt and when the stakes are as high as they were at Enron, it’s not really a shock to me that so many people involved got corrupted. What pisses me off is that these people did not come forward and accept any responsibility whatsoever…that leads me to believe that corporate culture really does suck your soul.
I hope I was clear on what I want to say..These are my opinions and are in no way meant to hurt or bash anyone.
Hi Braincell, thanks for your comment.
But do you honestly, without a doubt, believe that Mr. Skilling had absolutely NO idea about what was going on at Enron and that he was just an innocent bystander or “scapegoat”?
Well no. That wasn’t his argument at trial, either. Jeff was very involved in the daily goings-on at Enron. However, he could not know and did not know things that were intentionally being kept from him – for instance, Andy Fastow’s theft.
The guy is no fool and a high school senior could take one look at the books and figure out that something’s not right .
Really? Because I’ve looked at them a thousand times and I’ve never seen anything that was criminal or even odd. Bethany McLean even says the disclosures were right there for anyone to see.
He was the one who pushed for Mark-to-market accounting and was quite aware of the fraud being committed.
He was required to use Mark to Market accounting – the SEC demanded it. But what fraud? There was never any allegation by the DOJ that he committed any kind of fraud regarding mark to market accounting.
I say this because I refuse to believe that a Top level executive of a Multi-billion dollar company does not know how or from the money is going and coming. Agreed that he was no accountant but one doesn’t just become a CEO by being naive and dumb…
You are correct. But if you were going to commit a crime, would you let your boss in on it? No. Andy Fastow was no fool either, and he didn’t exactly try to keep everyone in the loop about his crimes at Enron Corporation.
Also another point which leads me to believe in Mr. Skillings guilt is that why did he sell of all those shares?? if he honestly believed that Enron was in perfect financial health when he left (like he said in court), then why sell off soooo many shares??
Which ones? I’ve written extensively about his stock sales. The September 14 stock sale was his largest one, and that was because of the 9/11 terror attacks. He collected more Enron shares every year than he had the year before. He was a net Enron investor.
When was the last time you met a CEO who sold off his shares because the company was in perfect financial health??
Executives (and others) sell shares for all manner of reasons. To diversify is a good reason (just ask the Enron employees who lost everything.) One person sold because he didn’t like being in the stock market. One person sold because he wanted to buy a home. There are all kinds of reasons to sell.
All these things and more do lead me to believe that he had a part in the scandal and was quite aware of what was happening at Enron.
Lastly I say that the whole thing is unfortunate…Money and power corrupt and when the stakes are as high as they were at Enron, it’s not really a shock to me that so many people involved got corrupted. What pisses me off is that these people did not come forward and accept any responsibility whatsoever…that leads me to believe that corporate culture really does suck your soul.
That’s simply not true. Corporate culture can be wonderful. There’s nothing wrong with companies, or executives. Enron was a tough culture but it wasn’t a soul-sucking one.
I hope I was clear on what I want to say..These are my opinions and are in no way meant to hurt or bash anyone.
You didn’t come across as bashing anyone. I just hope you consider what I’ve said here, and maybe read some more of the blog and observe the facts, and realize that Jeff Skilling is innocent.
Thanks again for your comments!
“I eagerly await his release from prison.”
Happy waiting.
He may be as sweet as a 3 year old girl, but the man is a felon; thousands of hard working men lost everything in Enron, EVERYTHING; that greedy piece of shit said that Enron did affect him as much as any other employee; yeah… he has lost a lot, but luckily he has some extra millions to ensure a pretty decent life for his family and himself… On the other hand, Jack D’elle who was working on Enron’s IT department, commited suicide because he cannot pay his bills anymore.
Sure… the sweetest fucker ever.
If what you say is true, then it’s Jack D’elle’s fault – Jack could have divested himself from the company. Jack could have chosen to stay alive and fight. Don’t blame that on Jeff Skilling.
Jeff Skilling did nothing wrong at Enron. He lost EVERYTHING too. He has no money. He has nothing. He’s in prison because people like you have no fucking idea what you’re talking about and want blood.
Hm, a google search for “jack d’elle” brings up exactly ZERO hits.
Odd for a suicide caused by Enron. You’d think somebody would have picked that up, especially since Cliff Baxter committed suicide as well. The media loves a trend, and yet, there’s not a peep. Not a whisper. Nothing at all.
When are you and Jeff going on a date? You gush.
I think you are just unaccustomed to hearing *any* positive information about Jeff Skilling, and thus it seems exaggerated to you.
Cara, the lady doth protest too much. Maybe someone should buy you tickets to the enron show at the west end?
Cara, I just found this blog and I am so happy that there are people out there that think like you, I knew Jeff he is a great man, lots of fun, Honorable,and humble, meant harm to no one, it is sad to see people talk about him in ill and they don’t even know him or ever met him, and what is sadder is that he had to be the escape goat, but in my heart I know he will win after the supreme court hears the case.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Gaby. I appreciate your comment.
i came across this website while reading some info on Jeff getting a second appeal (or whatever is called) , i have to say im very impressed , the Jeffrey Skilling you describe here is totally different to the one the media describes, im not here to say the guy deserves to be punished or if he is innocent , I’m just impressed to the point i want to know which ones are the true facts , i give the benefit of doubt until i get the truth , in the meantime i can tell you one thing, it is just me or Jeff looks really tired of all this? i found several pictures of him and in all his pictures he looks
1)tired of having all the Enron problems on his shoulders
2)dissapointed at his trial
3)tired of the media manipulation (if there is any)
whatever it is , everyone in this planet have to face problems, some are worst than others and he is part of the group of people who is facing the worst…he will overcome this with time.
Dave,
Thank you for your comment. I am sure that Jeff is very tired of all this. He has been away from his family for nearly four years.
During the trial, where the last pictures were taken, he looks upbeat but tired. I think that’s pretty common.
I am glad you have an open mind. I hope you enjoy learning about Jeff.
How many convictions was Skilling found guilty of? They all can be wrong. Fastow worked for Skilling and was also his advisor. He’s in for a long time……don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
It called corporate greed. All at the top were found guilty but I honestly don’t believe Lay is dead – Kenny Boy had way to may connections. His last will and testament did NOT state creation – he’s alive through Bush, Bush Sr., James A, Baker 111 and the rest of the Washington scum. Ken Boy can be found, all the investigators do is follow the wife wherever she goes. Fastow rated on his boss due to a light sentence for him and especially his wife.
Regardless, Skilling was found guilty of ALL counts in a fair trial with a jury. Skilling wasn’t smart but a greedy liar than helped take down the company and ruin thousands of lives. He’s not a hero but cry baby hoping someone will listen to more of his lies. I hope his sentence is increased….but has to run to Louisiana for help. He is far too scared to face the music again in Houston – Skilling is a wimp and the biggest cry baby executive in the history of the USA business community. Once a scammer, always one.
How many convictions was Skilling found guilty of? They all can be wrong. Fastow worked for Skilling and was also his advisor. He’s in for a long time……don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
It called corporate greed. All at the top were found guilty but I honestly don’t believe Lay is dead – Kenny Boy had way to may connections. His last will and testament did NOT state creation – he’s alive through Bush, Bush Sr., James A, Baker 111 and the rest of the Washington scum. Ken Boy can be found, all the investigators do is follow the wife wherever she goes. Fastow rated on his boss due to a light sentence for him and especially his wife.
Regardless, Skilling was found guilty of ALL counts in a fair trial with a jury. Skilling wasn’t smart but a greedy liar than helped take down the company and ruin thousands of lives. He’s not a hero but cry baby hoping someone will listen to more of his lies. I hope his sentence is increased….but has to run to Louisiana for help. He is far too scared to face the music again in Houston – Skilling is a wimp and the biggest cry baby executive in the history of the USA business community.
Point by point:
How many convictions was Skilling found guilty of? They all can be wrong.
Exactly, I’m glad you agree.
Fastow worked for Skilling and was also his advisor.
So? Advisor to what?
He’s in for a long time……don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Pithy statements like that show me that you know absolutely nothing about Enron. However, I am glad you are here so that you might learn something.
It called corporate greed.
Oh lordy. What is called corporate greed?
All at the top were found guilty but I honestly don’t believe Lay is dead – Kenny Boy had way to may connections.
You are absolutely stark raving insane.
His last will and testament did NOT state creation – he’s alive through Bush, Bush Sr., James A, Baker 111 and the rest of the Washington scum.
State creation? You know, you can just throw words on a screen, but that doesn’t mean that they are comprehensible to anyone else. It helps if you can elucidate your points using some kind of logic.
Ken Boy can be found, all the investigators do is follow the wife wherever she goes.
Ooh. So Linda Lay knows where Ken Lay is?
Fastow rated on his boss due to a light sentence for him and especially his wife.
That is true, actually. Wow, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Regardless, Skilling was found guilty of ALL counts in a fair trial with a jury.
No he wasn’t. Learn before you write.
Skilling wasn’t smart but a greedy liar than helped take down the company and ruin thousands of lives. He’s not a hero but cry baby hoping someone will listen to more of his lies. I hope his sentence is increased….but has to run to Louisiana for help.
You’re just babbling at this point.
He is far too scared to face the music again in Houston – Skilling is a wimp and the biggest cry baby executive in the history of the USA business community. Once a scammer, always one.
Okay, feel better?
Apparently not because you posted it again.
Please don’t rant on my site. It’s a serious site for honest investigation and knowledge dispersement. Since you’re just a flat out kook, nobody really benefits from your rantings.
Sorry Cara but I’m not looking for anything but justice. You on the other hand are a smart aleck to all that disagree with your mental illness way of thinking. He got and fair trial and was found guilty as charged – those are the facts so let it go. If he gets out in 20 years, someone will take care of him because he is one of the most hated criminals in Houston. I applaud the day of his death. And I think you need to see a doctor for your obsession.
You need help…….serious help.
This love affair you have with this criminal is right out of a movie. You know more than the jury…..if I remember right, you were NOT allowed to speak at his hearing or in court – you had no right to speak and to think you do, your obsessed…..seek help. Skilling innocent of all charges are words of a person that needs to join him in jail – even think of it? Arrangements can be made and you and your lover can share stories of how him and Tastow scammed Enron. So drop the smart aleck ways, you are proving you’re a lower class.
Sorry Cara but I’m not looking for anything but justice. You on the other hand are a smart aleck to all that disagree with your mental illness way of thinking.
Is English your second language? I’m not being snarky – I’m honestly having trouble discerning what you are trying to say.
He got and fair trial and was found guilty as charged – those are the facts so let it go.
Those are not the facts. Please, learn something!
If he gets out in 20 years, someone will take care of him because he is one of the most hated criminals in Houston. I applaud the day of his death.
You are sick. And I’m banning you for that statement.
And I think you need to see a doctor for your obsession.
You need help…….serious help.
You’re diagnosing me? That’s very kind of you but if I need help, it isn’t the help you or anyone else can give me.
This love affair you have with this criminal is right out of a movie. You know more than the jury…..
I know as much as the jury and in some cases more.
if I remember right, you were NOT allowed to speak at his hearing or in court – you had no right to speak and to think you do, your obsessed…..seek help.
Wow, what else do you recall?
Skilling innocent of all charges are words of a person that needs to join him in jail – even think of it?
So I’m a criminal because I…. defend Skilling?
Arrangements can be made and you and your lover can share stories of how him and Tastow scammed Enron.
My lover? Tastow? YOU ARE FUCKING INSANE.
So drop the smart aleck ways, you are proving you’re a lower class.
Wow. Just wow.
I was 11 years old when Enron went down and I have enjoyed reading about them in books such as The Intelligent Investor in retrospect, knew little about it at the time.
I find Skilling an interesting character, few know who was at fault. It may not be out of scope to think that the traders of their products falsified who was buying what, maybe inflating their sales to get higher pay from the ‘PRC’, hence earnings seemingly much higher than they actually were.
Mark to Market Accounting was not, in my opinion, the best way to keep equity buyers informed
not certain what your interest in Mr Skilling really is, but plain and simple he is a criminal without care or remorse for the pain caused to many people due to his (and his partners) lies.
Enron was the first in a series of corporate crimes that has led America to the brink of financial distaster and near depression.
Skilling and friends were nothing but greedy bastards. Stay in prison away from hard working Americans.
Oh good lord. I’m going to have to institute a new rule for commenters: you must say something actually substantial to post. This is nonsense and if you had read ANY OTHER POST in my entire blog you’d know why that was true.
He is not a criminal and he has nothing to all to be remorseful for. The USA owes him a giant apology.
America is on the brink of disaster because of a Democrat congress who believed that people who can’t afford houses should have them, and the current administration that believes you can spend yourself out of bankruptcy. Enron and corporations are our only hope at getting out of this mess.
Jeff Skilling was a “hard working American”, probably much harder working than most people you know.
He is innocent.
Cara,
Ok, here’s something substantial, 22,000 former employees of Enron lost their jobs. Arthur Anderson has ceased to be a company as well due to that company’s culpabilty in the Enron scam. More lost jobs. Enron held the state of California hostage in order to pad the incomes of Enron traders, Skilling, Lay, and Fastow.
Speaking of nothing substantial, all of the people I know are hard working, tough, and industrious. What an ignorant statement.
EOCG,
22,000 former employees of Enron lost their jobs.
Correct. So what?
Arthur Anderson has ceased to be a company as well due to that company’s culpabilty in the Enron scam. More lost jobs.
Actually that is not true. Andersen still exists (www.andersen.com) and the old AA that you remember DID NOTHING WRONG – nor did Enron. The convictions against them were overturned unanimously by the Supreme Court.
Enron held the state of California hostage in order to pad the incomes of Enron traders, Skilling, Lay, and Fastow.
This is absurd. Enron held nobody hostage, and those people would have been paid no matter what happened in California. But you’re trying to make the (totally debunked) argument that Enron caused the blackouts in California. They didn’t but if you’d like to argue that, I’m happy to have that discussion.
Speaking of nothing substantial, all of the people I know are hard working, tough, and industrious. What an ignorant statement.
Good for you. All the people I know – including Enron executives – are industrious as well.
Hi Cara,
I am interested in this topic of the California blackouts and Enron’s alleged role in it.
There are some interesting articles about these events:
http://mises.org/daily/575 (California Screaming, Under Government Blows),
http://mises.org/daily/669 (Avoid Blackouts Now)
http://mises.org/daily/1053 (The Great Power-Shortage Myth)
They address the fallacy that the prices were `manipulated’ by deliberately cutting down
production to profit from their rise.
For reference, these claims are made in:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_electricity_crisis
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/01/eveningnews/main620626.shtml
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/feb2005/enro-f09.shtml
For example:
“Krugman: So a large producer could actually increase its profits by inventing technical problems that shut down some of its generators, thereby driving up the price it gets on its remaining output.”
Reisman: In reality, of course, all kinds of contractual arrangements requiring delivery of specified quantities of power at specified prices would operate to prevent the kind of behavior Krugman imagines. Because of such contracts covering the greater part of their output, any rise in the price of power would go mainly to the benefit of the contract holders, rather than to the companies generating power. The amount of output on which the latter could obtain the benefit of a such a short-term rise in price would be too small to make such behavior on their part worthwhile.
But the allegation of manipulation is a bit more complex because it involves Enron and somewhat elaborate schemes to `game’ the system. Maybe Cara you have some more information about this.
Thanks!
First, I appreciate your intelligent discourse…this is an emotional issue.
22,000 people lost jobs “so what”, that’s pretty cold.
I will admit, much of Enron’s issues were the greed traders that worked the system.
I would be willing to engage in discourse re why Mr Skilling is not culpable for this disaster and why he shouldn’t be held accountable.
Just to qualify my position. I’ve been a Project Manager for outsourcing U.S. jobs to India until I couldn’t stomach it. Our country is in a mess because of degregulation, outsourcing, and corporate greed.
Bob Nardelli, Ken Lay (rip), Jeff Skilling, GW Bush, Dick Cheney (KBR, Halburton, no bid contracts).
Explain to me how you defend these criminals……I will listen.
JF
22,000 people lost jobs “so what”, that’s pretty cold.
I don’t have a job right now. Are you going to whip out your violin and play a song for me? Are you going to weep with the bitterness of life? No, you’re going to say, “So what.” LOSING A JOB IS NOT THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEONE. Period. It’s just not. Not in America, not even in Obama’s America, it is just not a good example of a horror.
Oh, also, it isn’t a crime.
I will admit, much of Enron’s issues were the greed traders that worked the system.
Okay, you tell me how they worked the system. Since you’re levying all these allegations, explain it to us how they “worked the system”.
I would be willing to engage in discourse re why Mr Skilling is not culpable for this disaster and why he shouldn’t be held accountable.
Which disaster? 22,000 people losing their jobs? Or is there something specific you’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt about?
Just to qualify my position. I’ve been a Project Manager for outsourcing U.S. jobs to India until I couldn’t stomach it.
I am sorry you are unhappy in your work. But this has nada to do with Enron.
Our country is in a mess because of degregulation, outsourcing, and corporate greed.
We need real and complete deregulation. Even “deregulated” California was incredibly deregulated, which is why it had many of the problems it did. Outsourcing? Enron never outsourced anything and I disagree that it’s bad for America. And “corporate greed.” Oh one of my favorite subjects. Tell me, do you have a car?
Bob Nardelli, Ken Lay (rip), Jeff Skilling, GW Bush, Dick Cheney (KBR, Halburton, no bid contracts).
Oh now we’re getting to the meat of your complaint. You’re liberal and you believe big companies and W were eeeeevil because government is so much more trustworthy than a business. I happen to not agree.
Explain to me how you defend these criminals……I will listen.
This is an Enron blog. The only people I am interested in defending are Enron executives.
They are innocent because no matter what you think of their business practices, they didn’t commit a crime. “Defending Enron executives” is a huge project – I’ve been blogging this for eight years. So you’ll need to pick a particular transaction or a person or at least a starting point if you’d like to have a back and forth about the subject.
let jeff come home,to his loveonce.he has done his time at that FCI.JEFF IS THE FALL GUY WE ALL KNOW. SPIDER
Enron hatrers — make up your F-ing minds! If you know , as even the most dumdassing anti Enron person, that Mr. Skilling was brilliant minded and hard woking then how could you that he was give up his rep in the business world for “Uprust pocket change” ?! It’s called thinking anti-Enron people and yes it hard at first but then you will get the hang of it!
If you want to badmouth greedy business men, there are greedy, social climing oversex dicks at Donny draper work spot. Let’s mean thing about fake peolpe and respect real humans with lives, familvies and fellings by keeping some ideas to ourselves umm…
Pluse as Speech student here a tip: know your audience, dummies. Last time I check Bethany McLean did not write this blog
Andie says
Hey Cara I has spelling mistakes in my other post can you delete it.
December 27, 2010 at 12:18 am
Enron haters — make up your F-ing minds! If you know , as even the most dumdass-est anti Enron person does, that Mr. Skilling was brilliant and hard woking then how could you think that he was give up his hard earned reputation as a respected man in the business world for “Upper class pocket change” ?! He would not because he did not do anything wrong.
I know how easy it is to want to see the worse in others due to lack of knowledge or tact. You see I was once an anti-Enron asshole,yet even then I though that Mr Skiling did nothing wrong. I had a lot of wrong ideas about the asshole commit and now i know better. And …Yes Cara I’m still an asshole I’m just not an anti-Enron asshole and I now know that Conspiracy Of Fools is a well-written and entraining price of historian fiction bullshit, that full of lies, rumors and half truth which hurt more people than the bankruptcy did because it adds to the misunderstanding of people. Not one word of the last sentence is sarcastic: I do like that book because it is well written tale but I understand it’s not true and I am sorry that so many good-people like Dr. Lay and the Skilings were hurt by it. I’m sorry I like this book and hope you don’t hate me more than you already do, Cara
But there two truths Kurt got rigth the first: there is a state in the Union name Texas and there was a year 1997. Yet, he still could not prove that Mr. Skiling did anything wrong. Enron hatred if no one can find your pink fucking flying car, then your pink fucking flying car does not exist. And for the smart ass that will point out the fact Mr. Skiling was found Guilty by a jury and Doj, I would like to point your faces to the 1920s-1960s when the law was never use to hurt people who did not pull the uncle sam line– You know the people who want to vote Just because they believed being born in America made you an American. Well fast forward 45 years when the Doj needed a big name to prove their committed to justice. The name they chose: Jeffery K Skilling. It was a quick fix for the Enron task fucks and the Doj.
It’s called thinking anti-Enron people and yes it’s hard at first but then you will get the hang of it! And it can be fun
But tell you what,if you want or just need to badmouth greedy business men, there’s always are greedy, social climbing oversex dicks at Don Draper’s work spot. Let’s say cruel untrue things about fake unreal people and respect real humans with lives, families and fellings by keeping some ideas to ourselves umm… I know of what I type Enron-haters I say some stupid shit about Mr. Skiling and I now that I know better I regret it.
Oh and as Speech Commutations student here a tip: know your audience, dummies. Last time I check Bethany McLean did not write this blog.
what I got wrong …..
i met mr. skilling at a habitat for humanity store in houston,texas, i talked to him the few times i was there. he was kind and considerate, he talked to me like he had been knowing me forever. we talked about his brother and being a weathercaster,i hope he keeps the faith and just hold on,and he will be cleared of all this scapegoating,he is innocent.
Did Jeff Skilling voluntarily take a polygraph test?
If so, when, where, who was present and where are the results?
If not, why.
I find it extremely troubling that a CEO doesn’t know what’s going on in the company he is totally responsible for.
Furthermore, all the BOD must have known something was up.
As a former GE and Exxon Mobil employee, the, “I was set up” story, from one of the so called “one of the smartest men in the business” is a very scary thought.
The smart ones sold their stock when Jeff resigned for “personal reasons” because the smart ones knew better and I was one of them. Some are not smart enough to cover their rear ends.
As a matter of fact, he did take one and passed with flying colors.
JEFF SKILLING NEVER SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE COMPANY. Please please please understand that. As he said at trial, he tried very hard to know what was going on in all facets of the company at all times. However, he could not know what was going on if someone deliberately tried to keep him from knowing.
Why are you using scare quotes around “personal reasons”? They were indeed personal reasons.
I’m glad you got out of the stock when it was still stable.
I am really glad to find this website. As a college professor my classes have studied Enron. The overwhelming conclusion they have come to is why did Jeff get all this time and Fastow next to nothing?
To me it seems by Jeff testifying he in many ways was a stand up guy to the end. I think he educated many of the politicians who a)didn’t do their homework to understand what really happened at Enron, and b)wanted to make a name for themselves because this was in the media everyday.
It’s a shame he is in going to be locked up for so long, when others who did the crime got away very lightly. It disappoints me that a man who is honest and forthright in his testimony goes to jail when a coward and scam artist (hello Andy) gets a very light sentence.
I hope his Attorneys continue to work for him. I’ll leave you with this from my students. Many of them after studying Enron say if they had to choose someone to run a company they owned, they would choose Jeff.
That is just wonderful. : ) Thank you for the comment. Indeed Jeff was a great leader. Your students have the right idea.
Andy got a lighter sentence because he was babied by the prosecution in order to get Jeff and Ken Lay. They wanted Jeff more than they wanted Andy. It was manipulative and stupid but that’s the ugly truth.
Fascinating,
I have read quite a bit about the Enron case and followed the case of Mr. Skilling off and on for the last couple of years. My father is fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic in a very similar way to my interest in this case. Indeed I can see quite a few parallels between the events leading up to both failures… of course one of the tragedies of the human condition is that hindsight, for those who have an attention span longer than a beer commercial anyway, tends to be 20/20… or fairly close. (I would like to add that I do not believe anyone is wholly right or wrong, not even myself.)
Before I get into the the nuts and bolts of my view on the case I would like to state clearly that I believe the system made a deplorable decision in not allowing Mr. Skilling to attend the funeral of his son. Whatever the crime, whatever the punishment, he has been a non-violent prisoner and is hardly a flight risk. Being a father myself and because, as I will explain shortly, my family has lost more than a little in assets with the fall of Enron I feel I am free to say that I am disgusted by the decision. In my personal opinion refusing to allow a father to lay his own son to rest is cruel and unusual punishment and I do not believe there is any way that the system can make up for that kind of miscarriage.
As for my opinions on the information I have read over, including the most virtriolic books and documentaries, I am convinced that, although restitution should be made in many cases, I do not believe Mr. Skilling should have been incarcerated. Like the President of the United States he was the head of a massive, and multi-headed, animal which had many autonomous parts which, as he stated clearly, would have been impossible for him to keep track of is people were withholding information from him. We can all use the argument of “As a leader he should have known every detail going on under him” but the fact is that that is not how life works. President Bush himself had to delegate authority, President Obama delegates jobs, even the lauded President Reagan depended on the information provided to him. The difference is that when a politician, especially a president, mades a mistake based on flawed intel they can claim “executive priveledge” to shield themselves while a corporate CEO dosen’t have the same protections.
Now one should note that comparing the jobs of a CEO and a politician is hardly precise since they deal with strikingly different goals in as many areas as they share common ground, I made the comparison because I felt, in this limited case, it was valid. Another thing which both jobs have in common is that a single bad choice can create a chain reaction which can be both catastrophic in time and is virtually impossible to predict. Mark-to-market accounting and the PRC, in my personal opinion, were the linchpins that poisoned the proverbial well. The ease with which the MTM accounting can be tampered with is a serious flaw in and of itself, however as long as MTM accounting is overseen by trustworthy individuals then the damages could be insignificant and easily corrected within reason. The PRC was the damning blow, again in my opinion, as it created a cutthroat culture with very little comraderie. The employees may have created the most agressive and ingenious traders on the market through the PRC but they also purged from their ranks the majority of those who had the strongest moral fiber and character. What the PRC created was a veritable legion of individuals with extremely high ability but little or no interest except how to make their own personal fortunes at the expence of anyone who got in their way. I believe it was summed up in a statement on the documentary “Smartest Guys in the Room” when one of the former employes described the culture as “I’ll stomp on the throat of the guy next to me if it gets me where I am going.”
It is my position that the tragedy of Enron’s fall was due to a perfect storm of sorts. The MTM system was too easy to tamper with and the PRC left an army of individuals in postions throughout the company who manipulated the data in small ways here and there for their own means. Mr. Fastow, a very poor choice for CFO (in hindsight), came onto the scene and, likely recognizing the weaknesses in the system, chose to exploit those weakness for his own gain as well. At the top of the chain you have Mr. Lay and Mr. Skilling who are trying to hold the whole machine together. I cannot speak much for Mr. Lay as I have not researched much about him and I refuse to base my opinions on less than a dozen different sources. For Mr. Skilling, based on what I have looed into, I see a man who put his life into a creation and, like a man making a sandcastle who suddenly realizes the water is approaching, at the end was desparetly trying to keep the sandcastle together as the tide came in.
I think he was aware, at least at the end, of the shaky position of the company but likely had faith it would right itself. I do believe that he left for personal reasons and was not fleeing the proverbial ship. In the end I do not think he was truly criminal, at least not significantly so, but rather was very human. We often forget that about our political and professional leaders… these men and women are not gods or titans, they are people with the same shortcomings and weaknesses as the rest of our species. While I do not believe that Mr. Skilling was guilty of criminal charges I do believe that as CEO he was still responsible for the company and should pay significant restitution from his own accounts, I have never really researched his finances and I suspect that he is as close to broke as they come so its likely moot now. My position remains however, the conviction was rushed and far too emotional.
We often look back at the Titanic and we criticize the captain for removing the extra life boats or his choices not to alter his course for various reasons. It is so easy to forget that at the time the public was shouting the praises of the Red Star Line and the “Great Unsinkable Titanic” that noone, not even the captain, believed that the ship could go down. With that invincible model in his head of course he removed the extra life boats, he wanted his passengers to have more room to enjoy themselves. Of course he did not alter course, be off schedule in the great Titanic? Never! Of course when the inconceviable happens we, as a species, always rush in looking for who is to blame rather than why it happened and what led up to it. The MTM was tantamount to leaving the lifeboats and the PRC was the refusal to change course. Poor choices but hardly criminal and ones which any of us might have made in the same place at the same point in history.
So I will leave this question for anyone who wants to throw vitriol on anyone else, “When was the last time you ever went a whole day without making a mistake?”
Sincerely,
Joseph
P.S. My uncle lost millions when the Enron stock collapsed. I asked him once why he invested, as he was a trained investment broker, and he replied that so many people were making money that he figured he couldn’t go wrong. He never once even tried to look up the financials. So I asked him once “Who was really to blame uncle? The company that collapsed or you who never even looked at where you were putting your money.” I have yet to recieve an answer and he hardly talks to me at family gathering anymore.
Hi Cara, i am undecided on what to believe in Jeff’s situation. In your opinion do you think Jeff did anything wrong while working at Enron? Thanks
Hi Ross,
Thanks for your question. I’m sure he did things wrong, but I am not convinced he did anything criminal at all. Companies fail all the time and it doesn’t mean there was something criminal afoot.
I think even Jeff would probably agree that there were signs he missed, different paths he could have taken, and mistakes made at Enron. For instance, he once said he wished he’d never heard of LJM1. If he had it to do over, I’m sure he would choose not to do the LJMs. But even that doesn’t rise to the level of criminality. I worry that when bad things happen, our government rushes to dole out punishment.
I just wanted to say how easy it was for the media and congress to completely destroy a mans lifes work in just a few days. They wanted a bad guy so they created one. It’s sad how in this country success is loved if you are a movie star who gives absolutely nothing back to society yet build a company and you are a villain. I wish Jeff the best.