To: Roadkill who wrote (1699 ) 3/6/2000 10:53:00 PM From: Harry J. Read Replies (1) | Respond to
RK, et al. - re: Pres/CEO Thompson's CNBC appearance. I didn't learn much new on the business front. The piece was more of a "See? He's human, not a robber baron,": some shots of him at work, some shots of him at home. The voice-over noted that the stock is up 300% since he took over, that SYMC's competitors include Network Associates and some other companies, that SYMC purchased Level 3's security software division, and that SYMC recently did a major deal with Deutche Bank to place antivirus systems on all desktops. Competition, particularly on the retail side which is price-sensitive, is tough, said an analyst (who rates SYMC a strong buy even now), but Mr. Thompson, he said, is employing his 28 years' experience with IBM to good advantage. On the human side, if the intent of the piece was to show that he accomplished the turnaround of SYMC because his intelligence, skills, and style appeal to employees and customers alike, I think the piece succeeded. I'm in my 50s and have seen plenty of managers who succeeded through intimidation. I don't think he's one of them; I think he did it with his other strengths.
