Latest Commonplace post is about scrubs and maestros:
Conversation
Replying to
But would a Malone-clone in 2021 be playing the "real" game? Malone existed during the "cult of shareholder value", but those days are long past...
2
2
I think there's also a short-term vs long-term argument to be had with someone like Malone. I really liked "The Good Jobs Strategy" which essentially argues that a lot of Malone like decisions are less profitable than investing in excellence even if they cost less up front.
2
2
I also imagine his strategy increased the chance of "getting rekt" - monopolies that provide poor service are often juicy targets for politicians
2
2
Oh a huge part of his story is repeated lawsuits and clashes with politicians. No free lunch, after all.
You might say that he experienced upside decay near the end of TCI’s life, except that he seems to have done well post-TCI, with Liberty, etc.
Yeah. Annoyingly I think people pursuing strategies like this often do pretty well out of them in the long run, it's just the companies they run that don't.
2


