[SoothSayer]

I recently heard a radio interview with a key player at Enron.

It made me twitch ... their corporate culture sounded very, very similar to that at a Silicon Valley company I once worked for.

I then realised that perhaps - just perhaps - the crimes were commited by mid-echelon staff trying to play "hard ball" ... but WITHOUT having the intellect of the CEO.

(I believe Bill Gates had this problem for a while ... some mid-level managers always played VERY tough with suppliers, customers & other staff because they assumed that that was the way Bill Gates worked. However Bill Gates also has excellent business skills so he knows when - when not to - play hard ball)