Recognizing a Trojan Horse

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The term "Trojan horse" is used metaphorically to mean any trick or strategy that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected place, or to deceive by appearance, hiding malevolent intent in an outwardly benign exterior; to subvert from within using deceptive means. 

Melita's merger with Divine Inc. and the changes that led to Alek's removal from management.

Alek's warnings about the company's financial health and eventual bankruptcy.

We're going to dive into how this trojan horse got into the camp and then share some ideas, based on Alek's experience, on how you can recognize when you could be involved with a trojan horse and things you can do to prevent risking harm to things and people who matter to you.

Here's a metaphorical story of this "Trojan Horse" 

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Silicon Valley, a cunning character named Andrew Filipowski emerged as a sorcerer of success, weaving a tale of grandeur and prosperity. In the year 1999, he conjured a company into existence, gathering a court of 38 influential figures, including the illustrious Michael Jordan, onto his board of directors.

As the digital landscape faced tempestuous times with the bursting of the dot-com bubble in July 2000, our sorcerer seized the opportunity to cloak his creation in the riches of public recognition. 

The Trojan Horse, now known as a public company, was rolled into the unsuspecting city via an initial public offering.

In a sly enchantment in February 2001, the company shed its former identity, Divine Interventures, and assumed a simpler guise—Divine. The illusion of divinity masked the true intentions of our sorcerer, who sought not divine intervention but a darker quest for personal glory.

The plot thickened as acquisitions became the spells in our sorcerer's book of treachery. 

In April 2001, the sorcerer, like a shadowy puppeteer, acquired the assets of MarchFirst for a staggering sum of $120 million. 

The webs of deceit grew denser in May, ensnaring RoweCom for $14 million in stock.

Come July, the dark sorcerer extended his influence further, agreeing to acquire eShare for a princely sum of $71 million in stock. 

The whispers of doom echoed in August as Open Market succumbed to the sorcerer's grasp for $59 million in stock.

But every tale of trickery has its consequences. 

In the frosty days of January 2003, the creditors of RoweCom, wise to the sorcerer's schemes, raised their swords of justice. They accused Divine of fraudulent machinations, claiming that $73.7 million, like stolen treasures, had been deceitfully spirited away before the company abandoned its subjects.

The reckoning came on February 25, 2003, when the once-glorious Trojan Horse crumbled under the weight of its own deception, filing for bankruptcy. 

The city, now in ruins, bore witness to the destruction wrought by the false promises of prosperity.

In the aftermath, in April 2003, the remnants of Divine were put up for auction. 

Saratoga Partners, Golden Gate Private Equity, Little Bear Investment, and Outtask emerged as scavengers, claiming the spoils for a total of $54 million. 

Saratoga Partners, in a cunning move, sold the enterprise content management business to FatWire, while the coveted Open Market patents found a new home in the hands of Soverain Software.

And so, the once-mighty Trojan Horse, now exposed for its dark enchantments, left a legacy of deceit and destruction in its wake—a cautionary tale of how one man's quest for importance and riches led to the pillaging of successful realms, leaving behind only the echoes of a fallen empire.