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I can’t help expressing my joy that AT&T will vanish into the maw of SBC.

A misleading smileWhat a loathsome outfit. AT&T’s VoIP service, contrary to the advertising, didn’t offer three-way capability when I used it. I cancelled and went through billing hell, with AT&T at one point unable to tote up the exact amount owed–but still threatening my credit rating when I refused to pay without a trustworthy figure. I was hardly the first victim of AT&T’s mix of sleaze and incompetence. Believe me, the smile on that lady in the ad is most misleading, at least as applied to my experiences.

I feel for the AT&T shareholders who over the years saw a widows-and-orphans stock shrink to a fraction of its value, and even more I feel for the employees who’ll lose their jobs. I rejoice, however, over the fate of the inept and arrogant management. This is creative destruction at its best. Changing technologies and lasting stupidity doomed the deserving.

No time for nostalgia

Meanwhile I would urge readers of this blog to have as little as possible to do with AT&T in personal or professional dealings, until the SBC deal goes through. Forget about nostalgia, regardless of AT&T’s past greatness, regardless of the well-deserved acclaim for the old Bell Labs. Normally I’d worry about lessened competition, but AT&T’s was so anti-consumer that I’m still happy to see this dino roll over.

The e-book angle: If even AT&T can fade away, what about Microsoft? No corporation survives forever–a point that even Bill Gates has made in another context. That is why we need a universal e-book standard if e-books are to be a durable, respected medium.

 
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