However, as Mr Sidgmore is keen to point out, WorldCom has always acquired firms that have added new dimensions to the business. WorldCom has doggedly followed five principles. It has gone for markets that have the fastest growth. It has one of the lowest cost structures in the industry. It has bought only the best assets, even if it has paid top dollar for them.
Alliances are for wimps.
Mr Ebbers is a master of strategic shopping. To an extent, MCI fits the pattern of the past. It adds a dimension to the business, in this case a client list of large firms and residential long-distance customers, and it should extract value from WorldCom's other assets. Mr Ebbers has also paid more than anyone else would, albeit with WorldCom's own paper. But there the similarities end.