So where do we go from here?24 Jul 2024 14:37
OK, so Bond has been a polarising figure.
Some say that' at worst he's lied to investors, and at best, been overly optimistic about the company's sales prospects. On the other hand, some think he's some kind of Steve Jobs visionary, and that it's the whole world's fault, rather than his that the company has yet to deliver anything tangible.
In truth, he probably sits somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, actually creating a commercially viable product such as the AFC offering is immensely difficult and there have no doubt been blind alleys and pitfalls along the way, meaning that targets were unlikely to be met, and to this end, giving things a positive spin is probably what was required, because if the company was blatantly honest about things, fund raises would have been far harder to achieve, so kudos top the chap for keeping the ship afloat in what were obviously choppy waters. However, I think that the problem is that he was probably a little too bullish about the company's prospects, and the continued inability to deliver on projections made by him has created an environment of mistrust, which is understandable.
Am I glad he's gone? Probably not, because there is going to be a long period of flux before the company stabilises, and he was, after all at the helm when some major funds were attracted to the company. Am I happy with his conduct? The simple answer is no, because of policy of a complete lack of transparency which the company has adopted. It is this very lack of transparency, and ambiguity which gives rise to the fertile environment in which both the rampers and bashers thrive.
Let's all just accept that AB has gone, and move on, but lets hope that we move forward in an environment where we can feel comfortable that what the company releases is what it actually means, and is based on actual facts.
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