Microsemi CEO slapped for fabricating degrees

Chip maker Microsemi has decided to keep its CEO and president James Peterson after a board investigation concluded he lied about receiving degrees from Brigham Young University. The California-based firm specializes in high-reliability parts the US government uses in military applications, satellites, and spacecraft. The …

[Anonymous Coward]

FFS

It's waiving not waving.

I've got a picture in my head now of all these CEO's waving cheques around.

[raving angry loony]

Trust?

Nice to work for a company where lying and cheating gets you... no significant reaction. Really makes me want to deal with such a company, yes it does.

[Solomon Grundy]

So What?

He made up useless educational credentials to get a job and turned the company into a success. He couldn't have got the job without the degrees, but having the degrees would (obviously) have not impacted his abilities.

Too much focus on education and not enough focus on the person. It's part of the economic situation we are all in.

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously...

...he earned his degree based on skills and work experience, at a prestigious non-accredited university.

[Anonymous Coward]

ethical schmethical

If I was buying high-reliability parts I wouldn't get them from a liar.

[Anonymous Coward]

Clearance???

Not one word about the penalties and repercussions for lying on his clearance papers.

[Anonymous Coward]

What a guy!

Not only did he lie about his degrees, but when faced with it he vehemently denied it and attacked the person who brought it to light.

This guy is a real inspiration.

[Francis Boyle]

no $%*#ing duh

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Anonymous Coward]

Consistent

No big surprise the company lets him off with a slap on the wrist. The company itself has been less than stellar over the last few years. At least the two aerospace companies I've worked for have both blacklisted numerous MicroSemi part families due to consistent failure to meet stated specs, and strongly discourage any MicroSemi parts at all (these are companies who, in one case, builds long-life comms satellites and in the other case builds safety-critical equipment for commercial airliners; both take device reliability VERY seriously). Unfortunately the military- and space-grade components markets have consolidated so much there's virtually no choice (c.f. the article on DoD trying to undo a recent acquisition).

My point is company leadership willing to lie about the trivial stuff are generally willing to lie/cheat/steal in other areas as well...

Mine's the one with the REAL diploma in the pocket...

p.s. Oh yes, not to mention us mere mortals could face JAIL time for deliberately lying on an SF-86...

[Pete "oranges" B.]

Score one for common sense!

Just to be clear:

Lying = Not Good

Proving that high-level Academia is just /one/ means to an end, that it is not the be-all/end-all test of competency, and that it's OK to acknowledge the aforementioned = Good

[Anonymous Coward]

Welcome to CA!

His crime: Lying. Face it, its a bleedin prerequisite for the job.

Some companies do take action though: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/05/stec_directors_dodgy_cv/

Why sack such a capable employee? just use it to screw their compensation downwards. </CFO>

[Anonymous Coward]

Welcome to CA!

His crime: Lying. Face it, its a bleedin prerequisite for the job.

Some companies do take action though: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/05/stec_directors_dodgy_cv/

Why sack such a capable employee? just use it to screw their compensation downwards. </CFO>

singing: "not one of us! not one of us! not one of us!"

[Peter Nevin]

"A violation of business ethics"

I'll say. Last time I saw someone try that stunt, they ended up on fraud charges.

[Anonymous Coward]

Who cares

Education is rotten to the core, it doesn't produce knowledgeable or capable people, it produces lick arse, buttock munching crouton sniffers.

No educational qualification flies with me, you are judged on your ability.