For further reading about two perspectives regarding aforementioned behavior, then reference some of the links below by Felix Salmon at Reuters and Steven Davidoff at the New York Times .
Nevertheless, there are a couple of lessons that may help to mitigate perpetuation of unethical behavior, perceived or otherwise, by certain parties and individuals:
Lesson 1: The Devil is in the Details (ideally have an attorney vet one’s important agreements, or read thoroughly and ask questions)
Lesson 2: Asynchronous communication: unethical behavior that becomes transparent to more ethical employees, potential employees, and limited partners (public pension fund managers, foundations, etc.) generally ultimately wields a high cost to the alleged perpetrators (e.g., Enron, Lehman, Allied Capital, et al.).
Davidoff, Steven M. “A Clash Between Venture Capital and Private Equity – NYTimes.com.” Mergers, Acquisitions, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds – DealBook. 06 July 2011. Web. 07 July 2011. <https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/in-silicon-valley-a-culture-clash-sullies-a-romance/>.
Salmon, Felix. “Downgrading Skype and Silver Lake to ‘Evil’ ” Wired.com. 25 June 2011. Web. 07 July 2011. <https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/06/skype-silver-lake-evil/>.
Salmon, Felix. “Skype’s Options Plan and Silicon Valley Norms | Felix Salmon.” Analysis & Opinion | Reuters. 07 July 2011. Web. 07 July 2011. <https://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/07/skypes-options-plan-and-silicon-valley-norms/>.
