Dear Tony Hayward: You Do Not Have Your Life Back

By: Dan Farber
Topics: In The News

BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward sits aboard his yacht Bob, during the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race circumnavigating the Isle of Wight, Saturday, June 19, 2010.

(Credit: AP/Chris Ison, PA)

Dear Mr. Hayward,

Following your rope-a-dope, evasive testimony during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Thursday, you have offered the public more insight into your character — and the wisdom (sic) of your public relations advisors.

Understandably, after 60 days of dealing with the worst environmental disaster in American history (which continues to ravage the Gulf Coast's economy), the death of 11 rig workers, and the downward spiral of your company's assets and reputation, as well as having the U.S. government after your hide, you want to take a break, get a bit of your life back.

Fine. Watch the World Cup. Spend time with your family. Have a barbecue.

But don't participate in a yacht race on your 52-foot craft bought with oil money. It just sends the wrong message to the "small" people whose livelihoods have been wrecked by the millions of gallons of crude still leaking from your company's damaged well head.

Remember what your chairman of the board, Carl-Henric Svanberg, said to reporters in Washington on Wednesday:

"I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people."

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

Svanberg later apologized, offering that he spoke "clumsily." But your apologies are becoming increasingly hollow as you demonstrate a kind of arrogance, or tone-deafness, in your actions.

As Rep. Waxman admonished you during your testimony, "You're not taking responsibility, Mr. Hayward. ... You're kicking the can down the road."

In handing over day-to-day operations for the oil spill response and cleanup to BP's managing director Bob Dudley, you may have been kicked down the road.

But make no mistake: You do not have your life back, and you won't until the leak is plugged, the people of the Gulf have been made whole, and the environment restored. Remember, the job of the CEO is to share the glory and shoulder the blame.

Sincerely,

Dan Farber

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by srs102861 June 20, 2010 11:47 PM EDT

Let's blame the real person at fault here which is our government. If they had put stricter safety retrictions on these off shore drilling rigs afters the Exxon disaster, such as mandatory shut-off valves then this might not have happened. They let these companies get away with the bare minimum requirements when they should have 2x the amount of safety requirements than any other kind business their is in operation today.
I am truly sorry for the loss of the 11 lives that were tragically taken from this, but that too is the government's fault. Don't get me wrong, we need offshore drilling, but at a safer price. I don't agree with everything that Mr. Hayward has said and done but, he is only 1 man and he had every right to go and see his family this weekend no matter what he did while he was there. I stand behind him and I don't even know him and I live on the gulf coast.

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by user000049586849302948602 June 21, 2010 1:15 AM EDT: That hilarious. Repuglitards were all about removing regulations on industry and now you talibaggers are saying that was the problem.


by cobaltbluetony June 21, 2010 2:41 PM EDT: If the government is to be blamed for anything, it is not having enough punitive consequences for all of the corner-cutting and simple dismissal of required safety procedures. EACH ONE of those violations had the potential to combine with any other violation to create exactly what we have now. Think about that.


by mary-bearry June 20, 2010 1:09 PM EDT: WTeFF Arrogance and tone deafness are the public (and most likely private) characteristics of bp, Tony Hayward, Doug Suttles, and Carl Svanberg.

Talk about fiddling while Rome burned. (Do these men even know the parable about Nero?) Tony Fiddling (yacht racing) while the gulf burns. (see photos of the Gulf of Mexico on fire); Reply to this comment


by imredeemed-2009 June 20, 2010 11:59 AM EDT: Although on the surface it again sounds like BP and our goverment have this oil spill under control, but the experts are saying a very different thing. Please click this link and listen to this report. These are not fly-by-night people saying this they are top geologists and scientists. Ever wonder why the news media doesn't report on this $tuff?? $$$$$$$$$$ - http://www.youtube.com/liberteaparty#p/u/0/hpoHp7H-XE8; Reply to this comment

by lknooi June 20, 2010 11:55 AM EDT

And how many times has Obama played golf since the accident?

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by user000049586849302948602 June 20, 2010 12:25 PM EDT: BP, Hayward and his lieutenants are directly responsible for the ecological disaster in the Gulf and the deaths of eleven workers. Not only should they not be out doing the playboy thing, they should be in jail.


by JOE_BRAZIL June 20, 2010 9:32 AM EDT: How come that Mr. Hayward did not lose his job yet?

An honest CEO should have resigned in face of such an incompetence.

Or, maybe the Board said him: you did the ****, now clean it!; Reply to this comment


by user000049586849302948602 June 20, 2010 9:06 AM EDT: Hayward needs to go to jail for a long, long time.; Reply to this comment

by brianbwb2011 June 20, 2010 4:14 AM EDT

To the posters defending Mr. Hayward,

Mr. Hayward is under no pressure whatsoever, precisely for the reasons you excoriate Mr. Farber.

He cannot be arrested by the US, as criminal negligence must be proven before England would arrest and extradite him. Hayward is fully aware of this.

The stock price of the company is dropping, not because of Hayward's obvious arrogance, but for the real reason of BPs near-term liability for the spill.

Not a single farthing of fines will come from Mr Hayward's pocket, and he also knows this.

Even in the possible-but-unlikely event he were to forgo his bonus for this year, he will still not miss one steak breakfast, and he knows this also.

There is no pressure for Mr. Hayward, so for you suckers defending him, it would be most entertaining to explain just what pressures there are to which you refer.

I hope you enjoy your next toxin-tainted seafood meals. Maybe some extra couscous will cover up the oily taste.

To Mr. Farber,

You fell for the sympathy play, Mr. Hayward never lost that "life" he claims to want back. Sure he put in a few extra hours at the office, but that in no way caused any loss of lifestyle.

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by user000049586849302948602 June 20, 2010 8:43 AM EDT: This isn't only a world ecological disaster of historic proportions; there were eleven deaths in the platform explosion. Add negligence and those deaths become homicides. Mr. Hayward is trying his best to just look cool and unconcerned.


by mary-bearry June 20, 2010 1:14 PM EDT: To brianbwb2011, wow, a smart guy commenting. very rare, (like hens teeth) Thanks!

by Cassarit June 20, 2010 3:17 AM EDT

It's his money and his weekend. He has a right to spend them any way he wants.

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by joanloreen June 20, 2010 3:20 AM EDT: I agree with you - he needs a break after being blamed for everything. He is not the owner & he was not working on the rig - He is the CEO - he is not hands on.


by joanloreen June 20, 2010 3:17 AM EDT: This is only ONE man & he did not cause this disaster all by his self. Give him a break ! So what if he went off to see his yacht race. Look at all the golf, entertainment, Hawaii, Chicago trips etc that Obama has taken - to me he seems to not care at all. Look how long before he really went to the coast but not once on a boat out into the ocean to see the real oil spill. This is Father's Day week-end oil spill or not - the guy has a right to be with his family even if it means enjoying his yacht. He is the CEO - he has people hired to work on the problems at hand. Just like Obama does.; Reply to this comment

by Cassarit June 20, 2010 3:15 AM EDT

Daniel Farber is a whining, pouting, moaning, smart azzed bitsch who would be complaining a lot louder if he had no gas or oil to fuel his house, his car, and his economy. Daniel Farber should keep his mouth shut.

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by amadeusyaztremski November 21, 2010 8:12 AM EST: No relation to Dan btw: Dan should represent people with similar beliefs and keep writing.