It was the optics. I suspect he ordered it long before the payment, and it would not surprise me if he could afford it (way more than $100K, with his trim package), without the money from the deal. Several of the principals were independently wealthy.
However, Japanese executives make a fraction of what US execs make, and work in more difficult conditions. VPs that control billion-dollar budgets have desks that schoolteachers would sniff at.
Like I said, optics.
It’s not a good idea to piss off people that sign the checks, or will have your back, when you report failure.
Yeah he could buy that car at a different moment after a significant success, in that case no problem. It looked like squandering all the work the Japanese put into the deal.
However, Japanese executives make a fraction of what US execs make, and work in more difficult conditions. VPs that control billion-dollar budgets have desks that schoolteachers would sniff at.
Like I said, optics.
It’s not a good idea to piss off people that sign the checks, or will have your back, when you report failure.