Sun Rise, Sun Set

Companies, even big ones, often die. Some quickly, most slowly. But few companies ever kill themselves. Maybe they should. Call it Corporate Euthanasia. And in this fast-moving new world of business, that option should be a serious one for any board of directors in fulfilling its responsibility to shareholders. We have grown used to technologies, products, even markets bursting on the scene like supernovas — and then just as quickly evaporating.

Why shouldn't the same be true for companies? Why should they fade into the perpetual twilight of Chapter 11 or in an eternal, shriveled corporate coma sucking on the life support of patent lawsuits and royalties?

A case in point is Sun Microsystems. Sun was once a great company — dynamic, gutsy, and innovative. In hardware it pioneered the server industry, in software it developed the Java language — and was duly rewarded for both, becoming one of the greatest high-tech business stories of all time.

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