True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

Enron:
The Smartest Guys in the Room
By Alex Gibney
2006, 110 min.
Available from Amazon
Rent from Netflix
This was not what I expected. I thought it would be a predictable leftist documentary screed
against the evils of capitalism as represented by the biggest corporate scam ever – Enron.
Instead it was a very intelligent, subtle and fascinating portrait of the three principle leaders
of Enron, and how their dream came back to kill them. Completed a year before the trial and
guilty verdict, the film does a fabulous job of making the complexities of this intricate business
case understandable, and the personalities behind the events real. And make no mistake. The
disaster stems from the personalities. What I learned: Enron did deliver some great innovations,
some of which will likely have to be invented again. But they also unleashed a company culture
where competition and greed was paramount and not tempered by any other value, and in the
end this unbridled greed ate them all up and destroyed the fortunes of many innocents. It’s a
great film and should be shown in every business school.
Jeff Skilling testifies before Congress, but
can’t wipe that smirk off his face. Electricity
traders at the Enron desk (left) try their hardest
to make a buck during the California heat
wave. Tape recordings of the traders’ banter
reveal their intent to “rob grannies.”
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