Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss received what many sophisticated litigants would regard as a good settlement. In their lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their concept for Facebook, they settled for $20 million in cash and $45 million in Facebook stock.
Then the twins had an attack of righteousness and second thoughts about the amount they received. They returned to court with a complaint that they had been conned about the value of the company. Too bad, ruled the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, reports THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. A deal is a deal and the twins had even signed a release of any claims against Facebook.
In addition to returning to court, they also had whipped up as much media attention as they could. They got enough of it to likely feel foolish today. Their names could become associated with negative connotations such as "White Bread Values."
If the two have learned anything from this brutal ordeal, one of the lessons might be the prudence of a low profile. They may also be re-thinking their code of honor. Increasingly, the belief has been catching on that ethicial decisions are based on relative values which are situation-based.
Way back in 1986, Myron Magnet outed that reality in one of the bibles of business - FORTUNE. And, it was Lenny Bruce who mused that we are as honest as we can afford to be. In his new book "Ethical Wisdom," Mark Matousek also has some provocative things to say. Matousek is among those who learned plenty from adversity.
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