Bernard Ebbers Quotes

A collection of quotes by Bernard Ebbers.

Bernard Ebbers was a Canadian-American businessman who was born on August 27, 1941, in Alberta, Canada. He is best known as the former CEO and co-founder of WorldCom, a telecommunications company. Ebbers played a significant role in shaping the company into one of the largest telecommunications providers in the world during the late 1990s.

Ebbers served as the CEO of WorldCom from 1985 until 2002 when financial irregularities within the company came to light. It was revealed that the company had engaged in fraudulent accounting practices, inflating profits and assets by billions of dollars. This scandal led to the eventual bankruptcy of WorldCom and is considered one of the largest accounting scandals in history.

In 2005, Bernard Ebbers was found guilty of orchestrating the fraudulent activities, including securities fraud, conspiracy, and filing false statements with regulators. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $6 billion in restitution to shareholders. Despite appeals and efforts to overturn his conviction, Ebbers remained incarcerated until his release on February 26, 2021, due to declining health.

While Ebbers' legacy is marred by his involvement in the WorldCom scandal, he is remembered as a charismatic leader who successfully built a telecommunications empire before its downfall. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the ethical implications of corporate leadership and the consequences of fraudulent activities within businesses.