AT&T’s acquisition of TCI sure worked out, didn’t it. Don’t they ever learn?
I was working at MaBell when that happened, and then later Armstrong sold it to Concast(sic) and left to become their CEO.
I knew something was up when they didn't integrate the payroll systems. Personally, I thought having a broadband pipe into homes was a perfect fit, and it passed FCC/FTC muster, so why sell it?
Armstrong was a greedy SOB, that's why. Of course the AT&T corporate culture, bean counters and the board, have made costly mistakes before.
Once upon a time AT&T had basically invented cellular technology. Some bean counters said: we'll never make any money off this, and they sold it. Years later, AT&T paid (IIRC) some 12 billion for McCaw Wireless. Then years later, sold Wireless to Congular. Then SBC buys/merges (I was laid off right before that - right sizing the headcount) AT&T and Cingular is AT&T again.
I think all these games, and that's what they are, were probably planned out long ago to shuffle money around and enrich a lot of the "players", and get the regulators out of the way as much as possible.
Essentially, they want to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
I worked at the Labs for a time, and the culture there was the way it was because, as explained to me, when the parent had a built in 35% profit margin(monopoly times), money can be spent fairly freely. I could self approve PO's for a limited amount $$$$, all day long.
I never abused the privilege, but it was nice to be able to write a PO for something I needed right away without having to go plead with the boss for approval, on things he basically didn't understand anyway. I might have had to justify it to him later if he asked, but it was nice to be entrusted with the ability.
I miss working there. Good people were there at the Labs.