Last week while browsing Wikipedia, I found the answers to some 15 year old questions. I’m not sure I like what I learned, but after all these years, it’s certainly water under the bridge.
In very early 1990, I joined the software company Ashton-Tate as a field sales engineer. You may remember “A-T” as the makers of dBase software. In the 1980’s, A-T was one of the top vendors of personal computer software, long before Microsoft developed its dominant position. But by 1990, the company had already started its slide into obscurity. Of course, we employees didn’t know it at the time.
I remember going to national sales conferences where executives like CEO Ed Esber tried to fire us up and get us motivated to go out there and sell, sell ,sell. The only problem was that our flagship product, dBase III, was aging, and customers were anticipating the long-awaited dBase IV. When IV finally did hit the market, it was buggy and disappointing. Sales were lackluster at best.
By the summer of 1991, morale among employees was low as rumors were rampant about a pending sale of the company. I distinctly remember the VP of Sales standing in front of my district’s sales team and declaring, “This company is absolutely not for sale. We are strong and going forward as an independent company.” Days later, arch rival Borland announced it was acquiring Ashton-Tate.
Now, I never believed that the VP of Sales knew nothing about the pending sale. As a member of the executive team, he had to have been in on the planning and preparation to get the company ready for sale. I just figured he blatantly lied to us lowly employees to keep us motivated.
Now, the Wikipedia part. This entry on Wikipedia gives a pretty detailed history of Ashton-Tate, including how the executives proposed selling the company to Borland as early as 1990. It seems the greedy board of directors nixed the notion until a better deal – for them only – was struck. They got bonuses and golden parachutes. The employees got pink slips and a lifetime membership in FATE – Former Ashton-Tate Employees.
Until now, I never knew the truth (or at least Wikipedia’s version of the truth) behind the sale of the company. I’m saddened but wiser. It’s just another example of how leaders only tell us what they want us to know, and it’s only what’s in their best interests.
