“Scott McNealy, the now-departed chief executive at Sun
Microsystems, is an easy guy to dislike. Many in the industry view
McNealy as an arrogant jerk, obnoxious even by the exaggerated
standards of Silicon Valley, a bully who gloated when Sun was
riding high and blustered when Sun hit the skids, a wise-guy who
mocked friends and foes alike, a combative boss who wasted time and
energy tilting at the Microsoft windmill, which only managed to
alienate customers. Now McNealy is stepping aside as CEO, 24 years
after co-founding Sun and five years after the company’s agonizing
downward spiral began during the dotcom bust.“Yet it is not fair to blame McNealy for Sun’s woes…”