Actually, after reading more about the subject, it seems that Apoteker actually was fooled. The due diligence was done by KPMG ( and Deloitte ), both very big customers of Autonomy. Again, can't tell too much, but a lot of gratuities went beween them at some point.

On a side note, Apoteker did a lot of unhealthy stuff for HP, like webOS, PC division are one of the biggest. So adding Autonomy bluff on the list seems natural. Nice for him, he got about $25m in compensations. So, no, money is not a measure of intelligence, but good lawyers ;-).

I imagine KPMG will be getting sued then?

> or HP ( or Leo Apoteker ) was corrupt or dumb

I wouldn't bet on Apotheker being dumb. In his career he probably made more money than many of us ever will.

Nassim Taleb talks about this phenomenon in Fooled by Randomness, in a chapter titled "If You're So Rich, Why Aren't You So Smart?"

Namely, we can't judge a person’s intelligence by their wealth. Just because someone is successful now doesn’t mean that success wasn’t generated in a risky, inconsistent manner.

To be fair, he made money largely because he was well connected. His ability to steer a large enterprise and maintain a vision has made him a horrible excuse for a CEO. Doesn't surprise me that this all comes down to money and not real value.

Is making money a proof for one's intelligence?

Money in itself is not sufficient to prove someone is smart, but Apotheker clearly did right something I'm doing wrong ;-)

This assumes that everything in life depends only on you. Luck plays a big role in business.

Not at all clear; maybe he just took much bigger risks than you and got lucky.

I think we'd all agree that luck plays a big part in all of our lives, but he did become the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world.

If you think this was due to "luck" then I'd strongly disagree. Luck provides opportunities, but people have to take them and make the absolute most of those opportunities to even come close to the career that this man has had.

Did you make money for his companies or himself?

> Did you make money for his companies or himself?

Can you explain how that is relevant in anyway to the point the poster is trying to make?

Sorry. That was a typo. I meant "Did he [Apoteker] make money for his companies or himself?" Apoteker has enriched himself, but that does not necessarily make him a good business man. His tenures at SAP and HP did not end well.

Ah, 100% agree. He probably won't be a CEO again with his track record.

I worked for a competitor and I was shocked at the price autonomy got and then disappointed a bit when my company was acquired. Now it seems like HP didn't really do their homework on this deal.