GP,
I know you have read many of my posts and I try to bring a taste for the in and outs of the day to day stuff at Crus along with some of the personalities. I will only state the obvious.
Cirrus got into deep trouble in 1995/96. I was there. I watched Hackworth do nothing. I was in meetings with him when people would report reality and he would stop the meetings, tell them to go back and get the facts, and ask the next person to start their report. I saw this over and over again. At the time, we all believed in Mike and respected his management and decisions. We found out later that he really didn't want to hear the truth and as a result, here we are today.
We made excellent progress over the last 18 months under the guidance of Tom Kelly. Tom was hated at Cirrus only because he challenged people to perform or get lost. During his tenure, Suhas, Mei, Caparalli, Reddy, and a number of other "deadwood" managers left. We have had three consecutive quarters of earnings.
I'm sorry. Hackworth had his chance and blew it. He forced Kelly out only after being challenged for the leadership of the company. I am not one to give people second chances especially when it comes to my money. Yes, I really believe this company has some excellent products, a fairly decent roadmap, and some rosey revenue pictures for the coming quarters. But, they had an even better outlook in August of 1995!
As for Teo, I agree 100% with Ted. People make mistakes sometimes. I think Teo thought he had a decent investment but alas and alac, look at him now.
Calvin Scott |
