Sol Trujillo came in as CEO of Australia's main telecommunications company, Telstra, in the wake of an unpopular part-privatisation of this federal government business unit.He leaves after less than four years with (by Australian standards) an obscene amount of money in his pocket, after presiding over a prolonged share worth loss which saw many ordinary mums and dads lose money and customer complaints about the telco's service rise by 240% to record levels.
Yesterday ABC News ran an audio bite which had Sol hitting out at his lucrative milch cow in a very nasty fashion by accusing us of being racist towards him.
Now there is no mistaking the public perception that Sol was arrogant and inept as Telstra's chief executive officer, however I doubt that this view had a racist basis.
If anything the dislike was initially a cultural response to his particularly aggressive US-style of business management and communication, which was perceived through Aussie eyes as common hustling.
Over the couse of his time at Telstra initial attitudes became entrenched as downright animosity when he demanded and got those fat, fat, fat salary packages - around AU $13.4 million annually in 2008 and a generous tax break on leaving the company.
In fact the principal mention of Sol Trujillo's racial ancestry can be found in his own boasting bio blurb.
So, Sol; your ancestry was never an issue with the Australian public - it was your bl**dy grasping greed!
And that's the honest opinion of a fair dinkum Telstra customer.
Pic from Granny Herald "catch the vision or catch the bus" article in July 2005.
4 comments:
"Aggressive US-style of business management" is why you haven't been eating a cup of rice every day since 1945.
In the Pacific/Japanese war about 20,000 US marines were killed. A little over 30,000 naval personnel were killed. Another 50,000 killed were regular army...all to protect Australia. Look up the "Brisbane" line.
That's when Churchill wouldn't let Aussies return from Europe to defend Australia and our HRH Pommy arse suckin' Generals agreed??
There were an additional 115,000 deaths (non combat) for American forces in WWII.
If the "atomic" Chinese deicde they like Australia, I am sure you'll be happy to see Yank aircraft carriers of the NSW Coast once again...ot maybe throw an empty can at them since you have no gun rights and never will.
Stop the "America Hating"...they love Aussies and we fight side by side in many countries today.
Even though you think that bloke may have used us, don't blame America for Sol. He's his own man from his own country with his own ideals.
Firstly, Anon, if you actually read my post you will realise that it's not "America Hating" it's simply anti-Sol the former Telstra CEO.
Secondly, your simplistic view of history is not one I can share.
Defence of Australia was never why American entered or stayed in World War Two.
Australia was merely a convenient staging post for U.S. participation in the war in the Pacific.
Mr Petering: (I assume that is your real name also)? OBVIOUSLY, I read your post (duh) and I think your post does slightly "inflame the fire" of "America hating" (in my humble opinion); and for no good reason. Sol is Sol (American or Greek); and whatever he did right or wrong and thinks about his stay in Australia is of his personal doing and opinion; it's not a nation of 304 million people's opinion; believe me. We wouldn't even discuss him if he ran a Fish and Chip shop and had failed in some way; and also had a "wog" name. And you know we, as a nation, are still SO famous for still calling people "wogs"; for no good reason, except their name and look and have passed that disgrace on, generation after generation. BUT, always remember Australians hired him and paid him. Get it? So WHO should blamed, if anyone? Sol or Sol's "Aussie" employers?
SHAME on us I think?
And about WW2, I guess you could call Pearl Harbour and London "convenient" staging posts also. Australia maybe was convenient, as a R&R post though only, but probably really didn't need saving from a US point of view, at the time, with London in flames.
The Americans didn't "need" a "staging" post in Australia, they had Hawaii and Guam to attack Japan from and that's just what they did (my Dad yelled at the Japs tourists who were at the Arizonia Memorial in Honolulu and had to be escorted out). They needed aggressive allies at that time and didn't want Australia to fall to the Japs; like Malaya, the Philippines and PNG.
General MacAurther's "aggressive" US style saved Australia; he loved our "common" ideals, fighting spirit and backgrounds. Australia only came to be what it is today because the Yanks kicked out the Brits and the Poms needed somewhere else to send convicts during the US revolution... remember.
We sure needed them in 1945 and still do today. My Mum got knocked out of her bed in Sydney when those Jap subs torpedoed the harbour.
That "Union Jack" in the corner of the Australian flag should be replaced be the "Stars and Stripes". You won't see the Brits come to our aide if, "god forbid", anything happens with the "chinks" or "Indo's" mate.
Damn, there I go being another racist Aussie again; part of our culture? lol.
Remember who your mates are. I have NEVER heard an Ammerican say a bad thing ever against an Australian; except for Sol maybe.
Most Americans love and envy us...and we owe them a little respect. The bodies many of those who died saving Australia are still there (used a staging ground...but mostly for some well deserved "Aussie style" R and R).
But that's probably simplistic for you also?
Not only do I think that your rendition of Australian colonial and WW2 history is simplistic, I rather think that your entire comment has to be some sort of leg pull.
So I'll treat it with the attention it deserves.
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