The Artist Formerly Known as Paul Frank (2006)

While I feel for Frank, I also have to question our cultural notion that founders deserve seemingly unlimited entitlement. Hell, with copyright laws, we enshrine this until well after death.

It's great that our system allowed Frank to become a rich man for having a great idea, but my impression from that piece is that it's been the rest of the team that's brought the execution and adaptability in recent years. At some point, more is required of him to continue to deserve the sort of vast wealth he feels his namesake company owes him, particularly if they can maintain the value of the company without him.

The other interesting part of the article to me is how it highlights how important interactions between human beings are. Clearly, the personal is getting in the way of good business. But it always does. I think it really pays to be someone who can be emotionally generous even when you feel like the other person doesn't deserve it.

> It's as if Walt Disney had been separated from his eponymous empire

Hmmm, I guess they don't know how hard Disney screwed his best friend Ub Iwerks.

In the end it's business acumen that wins these battles, a bitter pill to swallow, perhaps, for the true believer in skill and talent winning through.