Founders vs the board: Understanding the Infosys brouhaha

The founders, led by Murthy, have levelled a number of allegations against the Board and CEO Sikka

Anyone who has been closely following the messy spat between the founders of Infosys, its Board and the chief executive officer (CEO) ought to read Dear Chairman, a book that chronicles and makes sense of the biggest boardroom battles and the rise of shareholder activism in the US.

There were a few lessons tucked away in the book that need to be surfaced. One, large activist shareholders have every right to challenge inefficient corporations that waste valuable assets, but at the same time, their own actions can also foster destructive and destabilising short-term strategic decisions. Two, public companies are filled