Was David Needleman Fired At Southwest?
- Thread starter 2shrtdks
- Start date
LoveFieldFlyer
Member
I don't think he liked the Southwest culture and as a result left under mutual agreement.
whatkindoffreshhell
Veteran
David Neeleman sold his airline to Southwest and agreed to stay on under a 'no-compete' contract. He honored his contractual obligations and was not fired.
Below is a link to an article on Neeleman and jetBlue taken from FORTUNE magazines website.
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusine...,444298,00.html
The article indicates that Neeleman was indeed fired from Southwest after he came aboard following the Morris acquistion. I have also included an excerpt from the article.
"Then along came Southwest. Impressed by Morris's low costs and high revenue, Kelleher bought the airline for $129 million. It was a bittersweet moment for Neeleman. His business partner, June Morris, was diagnosed with breast cancer around the time of the sale. (She has since recovered.) Once the deal was finalized, Neeleman found himself $22 million richer and a new member of Southwest's inner circle. At the time of the acquisition, Kelleher said he and Neeleman were "kindred spirits."
"It was a dream," remembers Neeleman, who became an executive vice president. "But it's never the way you think it will be." Almost immediately Neeleman grated on the entrenched executive team, says Ann Rhoades, then Southwest's head of human resources. Many eyed the newcomer as Kelleher's handpicked successor. "There was a little bit of jealousy," says Rhoades. "But David was also a little annoying back then." Used to running his own company, he lacked the diplomacy needed to push through his ideas on everything from e-ticketing to assigned seating. "Southwest is a great company, but I'm an entrepreneur," says Neeleman. "I move at a different pace." Within a year it was clear that he was going to be given a one-way ticket out. "He was hurt," says Rhoades, who helped break the news. "But David being David, he actually started pitching his next company while he was getting fired." "
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusine...,444298,00.html
The article indicates that Neeleman was indeed fired from Southwest after he came aboard following the Morris acquistion. I have also included an excerpt from the article.
"Then along came Southwest. Impressed by Morris's low costs and high revenue, Kelleher bought the airline for $129 million. It was a bittersweet moment for Neeleman. His business partner, June Morris, was diagnosed with breast cancer around the time of the sale. (She has since recovered.) Once the deal was finalized, Neeleman found himself $22 million richer and a new member of Southwest's inner circle. At the time of the acquisition, Kelleher said he and Neeleman were "kindred spirits."
"It was a dream," remembers Neeleman, who became an executive vice president. "But it's never the way you think it will be." Almost immediately Neeleman grated on the entrenched executive team, says Ann Rhoades, then Southwest's head of human resources. Many eyed the newcomer as Kelleher's handpicked successor. "There was a little bit of jealousy," says Rhoades. "But David was also a little annoying back then." Used to running his own company, he lacked the diplomacy needed to push through his ideas on everything from e-ticketing to assigned seating. "Southwest is a great company, but I'm an entrepreneur," says Neeleman. "I move at a different pace." Within a year it was clear that he was going to be given a one-way ticket out. "He was hurt," says Rhoades, who helped break the news. "But David being David, he actually started pitching his next company while he was getting fired." "
