The man who flushed Sears down the toilet

[moonshaz]

Ayn Rand-loving CEO destroys his empire

Comments

[nesmith]

I hope to live to see the day when Ayn Rand is known as nothing more than a really crappy writer and a shining example of idiocy in motion.

[crossfire]

There will always be shruggalos. Her philosophy is the perfect justification for privilege.

[deathchibi]

Hahaha, Shruggalos. I love it. That book bored me to tears...

[kleios_kiss]

Every single thing that I read here could apply to how the federal government and how local governments have been treating schools and their staff.

, pitting Sears company managers against each other in a kind of Lord of the Flies death match.

Could just as easily read

pitting school principals and teachers against each other in a kind of Lord of the Flies death match.

putting them through humiliating rituals, like annual conference calls in which unit managers were forced to bow and scrape for money and resources.

Could read

putting teachers through humiliating rituals, like annual reviews based on the Danielson framework after which principals were forced to bow and scrape for money and resources.

We've got

...became obsessed with technology, wasting resources on developing apps as Sears’ physical stores became dilapidated and filthy.

as

...became obsessed with technology, wasting resources on Smartboards and apps as physical school buildings and their interiors became dilapidated and filthy. (the school I worked at

[tilmon]

Even though it's about the retail world, this article really resonated with me and I'm sure with other people in service occupations. I work for a community college. A friend of mine works for a hospital. We were just yesterday discussing how our respective workplaces keep starting new programs and buying facilities while also cutting supply budgets and freezing staff hires. We need staff but we instead we get some technical fix, some elaborate computer program, that does nothing to lighten our load but does manage to create new problems and cost more money. We are angry, exhausted, and not giving a fuck anymore. If I stop caring about my job, you might fail out of school. If she stops caring about hers, you might die. Employees too tired to care anymore, brought to you by Ayn Rand.

[spyral_out]

And the government's just all

[romp]

no hijacking, I think you're right to see how this is more widespread than just a retail chain

[mycenaes]

lol, I've taken one micro and one macro course (AP Econ in high school) and am not an expert in economics at all, but I still know that this obviously wouldn't have worked.

[blackjedii]

which really really sucks b/c I know a lot of low-income people that shop at K-Mart.
And we used to have Sears all over the place

And this guy is going to walk away from this with plenty of money left to burn while the people who worked the store on the ground level will have to go find yet another menial job with one less place to work

[fionnulaharp]

It also sucks because K-Mart has also given in to the cut-back, add luxury goods, cater to everyone who doesn't need to shop at K-Mart mentality. Which then means that those who used to shop at K-Mart are stuck with WalMart.

[grace_om]

This is what really pisses me off. It's capitalism without consequences for those at the top. All the bullshit about how CEOs deserve their ridiculous pay because they add value, and the free market will somehow ensure that only the most capable succeed? No. The system is totally rigged.

[meadowphoenix]

This guy should have learned from Lisa Frank, Inc!

[meadowphoenix]

Extreme selfishness and mismanagement and creating a hostile work environment as a business model.

Here's a jezebel article on it: http://jezebel.com/inside-the-rainbow-gulag-the-technicolor-rise-and-fall-1179495705