Great story. But look how times have changed. I can't imagine many company leaders today choosing to stand their ground and put their own heads on the chopping block. I'm not sure when it happened, but this kind of servant leadership doesn't seem to exist today.
Anyone have recent examples of stories like this?
How many people move to take a bullet because it is the economically rational thing to do? Even body guards don't generally elect to take a bullet unless they really like the person they are protecting.
Potential is not a guarantee. Even if you see potential in someone, there is still a risk in investing in that potential - not all potential is realized.
Even if we assume the managers' motives were purely economical, it's still rare. Consider that they took a risk - their own jobs - based on their own belief that their team could deliver.
What has changed is the size of the industry. There are so many animation studios these days that the chances of landing in a studio with leaders like Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith are far, far smaller than they were back then.
