Rancher:
This is from theStreet.com. Sounds familiar, eh?
Looking at Larson
When investors decide whether to put their money into Network Associates (NETA:Nasdaq), they're not just looking at the business. They've got to look at its management, too -- specifically CEO Bill Larson.
Larson, who zipped through his presentation at the Robbie Stephens conference, was high energy, as usual. He talked about the wide range of security software that the company now has and bragged about its leadership in several areas of network security including anti-virus scans, firewalls and other "Cybercop" products.
But the main draw for some here was Larson, an unabashedly boisterous and aggressive CEO who investors either love or hate. "He's done a great job, there's no doubt about it," said one Bay-area fund manager who nevertheless has stayed away from the stock.
Echoing the view of other money managers who asked not to be identified, he called Larson scary. "Come on, would you want to work for him? Can you imagine telling him that something's gone wrong with a project? That's when things go wrong and people try to hide them and hide them until it's too late."
Charlie
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