In 2001, Enron was the 7th largest company in America. Fortune named it “Most Innovative” six years running. Eleven months later, it was worth nothing and 20,000 employees lost everything.
The Detail That Changes Everything
16 of 17 Wall Street analysts rated Enron a buy while the company was collapsing
Historical Context
This story spans 1985-2001 and is centered in Houston, Texas. Understanding the broader historical context is essential to grasping why events unfolded as they did.
Key Figures
The central figures in this story include Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Andrew Fastow, and Sherron Watkins. Each played a distinct role in the events documented in this episode.
What This Documentary Covers
- What happened to Enron and why $70 billion vanished in weeks
- How mark-to-market accounting created billions in fake profits
- Why 16 of 17 Wall Street analysts missed the fraud
- The Sherron Watkins whistleblower memo that went ignored
- Where Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling ended up
Themes Explored
This episode examines interconnected themes including accounting fraud, corporate governance, whistleblower, energy trading, regulatory failure. These themes recur across multiple episodes in our documentary collection, revealing patterns that connect seemingly unrelated stories.
Watch the Full Documentary
This companion article provides context and background for the full documentary. For the complete story with narration, original music, and archival imagery, watch the episode above or on YouTube.
