Enron Is Back With a New Young CEO but We're Pretty Sure This Could Be a Bit — Is It?
"The culture that I've created here is amazing. It's unbelievable."
Published Dec. 13 2024, 9:39 a.m. ET
They say all things in life are cyclical, and that could also include Enron. The energy trading and commodities company was founded in 1985 and closed up shop in 2007 after a companywide scandal caused it to collapse. According to CNBC, when Enron filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 2, 2001, it was the largest filing in U.S. history and "changed thousands of lives, damaged investor confidence to the core, and made household names out of previously obscure businesspeople." It was a real rough time.
Obviously, a dysfunctional corporation like Enron would have to do a lot to bring itself back from the dead, which is why rumors of its return are so shocking. On the 23rd anniversary of that famous bankruptcy filing, a company claiming to be Enron said they were relaunching, per KHOU. The company masquerading as Enron then revealed they hired a 28-year-old named Connor Gaydos as their CEO. Who is he and should we be afraid?
Who is Connor Gaydos? Apparently he is Enron's new CEO and we choose to believe this.
An Enron TikTok account wasted no time in introducing Gaydos in a video that feels equal parts satirical and disturbingly real. A young man in a buttoned up shirt and blazer calmly introduces himself and claims to be the CEO of Enron. How upset should we be about the fact that he was only five years old when Enron crumbled like a day old cookie?
"It's not often you find yourself on the front page of a future history book," says Gaydos in a voiceover. The video shows him drinking out of a mug with the word Enron on it, then slow-walking down a hallway while pointing to someone off-camera. Aaron Sorkin would be proud. In the next shot, he has turned the mug around to reveal the words "World's Leading Company," which you can buy on a t-shirt on the Enron website. Yes, there is a website!
The video continues with Gaydos saying he loves to learn, he loves challenges, and most importantly is committed to speaking in platitudes. He knows there are always going to be problems in the world, but Enron can help. "The culture that I've created here is amazing. It's unbelievable." He goes on to praise his young, diverse, innovative group of young thinkers. Gaydos did say "young" twice.
Gaydos promises that something big is coming, and the Enron website appears to back that up. As of Dec. 12, 2024, the homepage features a countdown clock, which suggests something is going to happen in 25 days. If we weren't having so much fun with this, we might actually be terrified. Speaking of the website, it's pretty good. We can meet the new executive team, peruse the careers section, and learn about the new mission statement via a press release. A lot of work went into what we assume is a bit.
If we can be serious for a moment, Gaydos is one of the people behind the Birds Aren't Real movement which means this is undoubtedly a goof. His company, The College Company, purchased the Enron trademark in 2020 for $275, per CNN.
While we think it's hilarious, actual former employees of Enron told WUSA9 they don't find it funny. "It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?" asked Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings.
If we can't laugh at the mistakes of the past, we are doomed to repeat them. Guess we should all mark our calendars for 25 days from now because the energy feels electric.