Home / Series / Independent Lens / Aired Order / Season 2007 / Episode 13

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron dives from the seventh largest US company to bankruptcy in less than a year in this tale told chronologically. The emphasis is on human drama, from suicide to 20,000 people sacked: the personalities of Ken Lay (with Falwellesque rectitude), Jeff Skilling (he of big ideas), Lou Pai (gone with $250 M), and Andy Fastow (the dark prince) dominate. Along the way, we watch Enron game California's deregulated electricity market, get a free pass from Arthur Andersen (which okays the dubious mark-to-market accounting), use greed to manipulate banks and brokerages (Merrill Lynch fires the analyst who questions Enron's rise), and hear from both Presidents Bush what great guys these are.

English
  • Originally Aired April 24, 2007
  • Runtime 60 minutes
  • Content Rating United States of America TV-PG
  • Network PBS
  • On Other Sites IMDB
  • Created March 1, 2016 by
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  • Modified March 1, 2016 by
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Name Type Role
Alex Gibney Director