Can Middelhoff Face The Music?

from the good-question dept

I always liked Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Middelhoff. Every time I saw him speak it sounded like he really understood technology - definitely a lot more than any of the other record company execs. He tended not to exaggerate, and obviously spent time to really understand the implications of the technology that affected his company. Based on that, he made some pretty bold (but well thought out) statements over the past few years - and now some of them are coming back to haunt him. He made some big bets at the height of the boom, and now people are beginning to question his ideas. Unfortunately, I think he's probably right in his thinking - but his time frame may be off. It's unfortunate that he'll probably get the axe before his visions really have a chance to be tested.