A remarkably engaging documentary about how "the boys" were selling potential profits for 20 years with just their smiles, audacious demeanor, and a little bit of fraud. It's been almost twenty years, and the story of Enron doesn't even seem that unique anymore. There have been so many ludicrous stories of "fake it until you make it" and general accounting fraud incidents that the question of how they could think they would get away with this seems foolish. Moreover, some of them got away with it. Everyone sentenced for this has since been released. Lou Pai has been affected at all, and Jeff Skilling is doing energy trading again.
And what has changed since anyway? Everyone still fabricates numbers and facts to keep that share price high because that's paramount to success. Corporate ethics or lack thereof are still toxic just in a more refined way. Likewise, everything is still run by people who will go to their graves before they acknowledge that they prioritize their bottom line and hundreds of millions in offshore accounts over tens of thousands of employees.
And what has changed since anyway? Everyone still fabricates numbers and facts to keep that share price high because that's paramount to success. Corporate ethics or lack thereof are still toxic just in a more refined way. Likewise, everything is still run by people who will go to their graves before they acknowledge that they prioritize their bottom line and hundreds of millions in offshore accounts over tens of thousands of employees.