Axil Axil <[email protected]> wrote: Tomas Edison the founder of GE, could give and take with the best of them. > > For example, several months after Edison employed Tesla . . . >
Yes, Edison was famous for being a sharp dealer. He cheated many people, and refused to pay his bills. He was not in the same league as the Robber Barons but he was not someone you would want to cut a deal with. 19th century business practices were a lot rougher than today's. There were few regulations. Law enforcement was minimal. Read about Standard Oil, as I said. Or the Credit Mobilier scandal. It is harder to use such tactics nowadays because of ubiquitous big data. Credit rating agencies can be more effective. They are not always effective, as shown in various scandals. That is not because of technical difficulties keeping track of data; it is because the credit agencies themselves are corrupt. This would not be a problem with Defkalion. They are a small company and cannot buy off or influence a credit rating agency. Well into the 20th century business was overrun with gangster tactics -- protection money, extortion, firebombing rivals and so on. Some businesses, such as restaurants and garbage collection in New York City are still "mobbed up." This was portrayed in fictionalize drama such as "The Sapranos" but it has some factual basis. The spread of large chain stores such as Mac Donald's and WalMart has made it more difficult to extort money from businesses. - Jed
