same dance different tune, page-2

With everyone's indulgence, I would like to add one more point, then I promise I'll shut up for a while :)

I have spent the bulk of my career working on large overseas construction and military programs. In 20+ years I have worked with my share of CEO types and General Staff Officers. Generally speaking they share several traits. First, their persona tends to be "bigger than life", driven, no doubt, by a "healthy" ego and a touch of narcissism. Secondly, most tend to be eccentric in one way or another. Perhaps most importantly, they are uniformly confident in their ability to overcome any challenge. Sound like anyone you know?

There's a phrase "money talks and bullshit walks." For all of his idiosyncrasies, Alan puts his money where his mouth is. He bets heavy on himself, to the tune of 4-4.5 million dollars, making him the second or third largest shareholder in the company. Essentially, one of the most (if not the most) informed shareholder in the company has said "I'm all in." Of course that doesn't guarantee success, but it carries a lot of weight with me. I'm betting he'll pull it off.

For those who might characterize my remarks as ramping, I disagree. I'm not starry-eyed, just applying my personal experience to the issue. Now, as promised, I'll shut up!