Comments on: Hiltzik “Business” Column Plenty Political

By: Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:22:29 +0000

Isn’t or wasn’t Mikekoshi one of Hiltzik’s pet sock puppets? Has Hiltzik risen to the bait in post #25 and is he going to get his bigmouth bass landed on shore? Hope so.

But I agree that everything Hiltzik knows about business could be written on his left testicle in 36 point type and still leave lots of room on that little jewel.

By: jack

jack — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:06:52 +0000

If Hiltzik won’t take on rightwing buffoonery, who will? The man is providing a service.

By: Mikekoshi

Mikekoshi — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:27:22 +0000

You guys are just jealous!

By: Mike K

Mike K — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:08:23 +0000

I read Hiltzik's book, Dealers of Lightning, a few years ago and thought it was good. I was subsequently shocked to learn he was the author after all the sock puppetry and his left wing blather. Last week, I read a better book about Xerox PARC, the subject of Hiltzik's book, by a couple of Harvard Business School guys. The difference in the two books is interesting. In Hiltzik's book, Xerox is this stupid behemoth of a corporation that doesn't realize what a treasure it has in PARC. In the other book, they go into the history of Xerox and the process of xerography and how they were devoted to research and innovation when they started PARC. By the time there were real products coming out of PARC, like the Alto computer, which had a mouse and a GUI interface, and a laser printer, and ethernet network, Xerox had been taken over by a new generation of executives, all trained at Ford. The authors have an excellent explanation, even though the book was written in 1989, of what has happened to the US auto industry. That is the difference. Hiltzik can understand technology and innovation but has no clue about business or management. The other authors understand, not only technology, but the history of Xerox and the principles of management. Those principles can lead to great inventions and success, like Henry Ford and Joe Wilson can build great companies by being innovators. Hiltzik is not a business writer. But the Times doesn't know any better.

By: Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R.

Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:00:16 +0000

Lazarus used to be quite good at the SF Chronicle. He had a great way of eviscerating customer-unfriendly practices at big uncaring companies. Perhaps his Chronicle editors kept him on a tighter leash.

By: Kevin Murphy

Kevin Murphy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:36:30 +0000

Again I ask: Who are they laying off? Given who they hire at the same time, it’s clear. Hard Left or left out.

There seems to be a bit of competition between Hiltzik and David Lazarus for most leftist political cant inserted into a biz column.

By: JD

JD — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:08:53 +0000

Hiltzik is a douchenozzle. Bring it, beeyotch.

By: Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R.

Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:06:29 +0000

Hiltzik has a notoriously inflated ego, hot temper and thin skin that might override his caution. So does Rutten, for that matter.

I’m guessing the LAT editors have forbidden them to comment here. But I’d love to be proven wrong and see the verbal shredding they’d take.

By: daleyrocks

daleyrocks — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:24:19 +0000

Hi Michael!

I think the nice thing about posts like this is that you know Hiltzik has read it and is monitoring the comments. He’s just dying to wade in but knows he can’t afford another self-inflicted internet scandal. It would be fun to slap him around in person again on a blog.

By: Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R.

Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:41:02 +0000

The "business" column of superannuated and ethics-challenged Michael Hiltzik has now and in its previous unlamented incarnation, always been largely political. This is a good specific example of the LA Times not knowing or caring what it is doing. Because he hasn't gotten into any scandals lately, Hiltzik is rewarded with a column where he can waste space with his political animosities, instead of doing what he was ostensibly hired for, to report about business. Why not move Hiltzik out of business and into the opinion pages with his fellow political bloviator Tim Rutten where he belongs?