Ben Gilbert: evaluation

Transcript context

…Well the original formula is, it’s in the appendix of For God, Country, and Coca-Cola. Which I think they also maintain is not the right formula. I would swear up and down too, but yes, this is the best example ever though of someone electing to use a trade secret instead of a patent, and then creating all this lore, secrecy, and myth around it. But for six years, as collateral, the first written version of the formula was in the Guarantee Bank of New York vault. So Ernest, when he takes over, he’s a banker, he’s an investor. This was a crown jewel investment that he could get his hands on in Atlanta. He doesn’t really have any interest in running it. So the company plods along for a couple of years with the existing management team. Ernest really doesn’t like this perpetual contract thing with the parent bottlers. He’s like, what are you two guys doing? As far as I can tell, you’re not doing anything. He tries to get rid of that. This leads to all sorts of lawsuits. The parent bottlers win. Ernest is frustrated. Finally in 1923, he’s had enough. He decides that he’s going to recruit a new company president to come in.…

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