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That said, frequent Reader contributor Neil Steinberg can only be described as obsessed with failure. He’s gone so far as to write an entire book on the topic (Complete and Utter Failure, in which he calls the National Spelling Bee a monument to failure because every kid but one ends up losing. Has any competition known to man ever been otherwise?). The same negative mind-set dominates his recent Reader cover story on Quaker Oats’s 1994 purchase of Snapple Beverage Company (“Snappled!” May 30).
The Snapple saga was undoubtedly a colossal business fiasco, ending as it did in Quaker’s absorbing a $1.4 billion loss on the deal. As Steinberg recounts, Quaker’s lack of business acumen resulted in a major financial hemorrhage and the departure of several key executives.
Why would a smart, frequently published writer be so focused on failure? Could the reason be the most obvious one? The one closest to home? Take heart, Neil, there’s still time to go to med school.
