..... there was a company, founded by a talented and dedicated...

..... there was a company, founded by a talented and dedicated inventor. Working on his invention for many years he finally decided to seek public funding to bring the device to market. With the money also came a few eager business people with connections to other organisations. The listing was successful, but then things suddenly changed. The eager business people managed to rid themselves of the inventor of the device, now taking charge of the business and its new direction. Old alliances were renewed and this included worldwide travel to many exotic destinations. The device was only exhibited in its non-functioning form, often even without its engine. The business people held no shares in the company and sadly only did everything possible to drive the SP down to a level that made the company attractive to a larger competitor, who finally offered a 20% increase on a deeply deflated SP. The takeover offer also included a large financial incentive for the business people and offers to these individuals to be absorbed into the larger company, with even more attractive job offers. The original shareholders walked away with a heavy financial loss, but could do absolutely nothing to reverse this development.

Have you ever heard of such a company?