The New Yorker a couple weeks ago had a fantastic article by James Stewart on "How an obsession with leaks brought scandal to Hewlett-Packard." It’s an excellent, gripping account of the pretexting fiasco, and Stewart brings characters such as "Silicon Valley cowboy" Tom Perkins and Patricia Dunn into full view. Well worth a print and read.
At one point Stewart notes that the course of events was beginning to resemble a James Bond movie — security personnel manning bulky electronic equipment during a board meeting to prevent evestropping, covert agents sending made-up emails, moles, video surveillance, illegal phone tapping, and by the end, congressional investigations and possible prison terms. As if this wasn’t enough, as the events were unfolding Perkins (an HP board member) published a steamy sex novel and Dunn was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Who knew Silicon Valley could be so lawless and exciting?
Good post.