GE used to be darling of Wall St. It was tops of the top 20 companies 20 years ago.
What caused its decline:
1. Investing too much in non core business: lending, health care. The GE capital was badly hurt by 2008 crisis. They had to be bailed out to the tune of $100 billion It stood against the management principle of focus, on core business. What was GEs core business: Jet Engines, power generation. They could have been growth more. The acquistions distracted them from core businesses
2. They engaged in too much acquisition . However they financed this by cutting off employee payroll.
They destroyed their human capital. The staff worried too much in being laid off.
Jack Welch was an idol before in management. It seems it was a misplaced adulation.
