MorganFranklin Interviews Corporate Whistleblower Cynthia Cooper
Cooper recently joined MorganFranklin for a discussion of her book, her decision to speak out against corruption and the current state of the corporate marketplace.
MorganFranklin: What consequences did you face after releasing your audit findings? Did you continue to work at WorldCom? Looking ahead, what are your plans for the future?
Cooper: My team and I found ourselves standing at a crossroads where there was one right path to take — and I would take it again — but of course doing the right thing doesn’t mean there will be no cost to other innocent people, even your family and yourself. There is often a price to pay and sometimes it can be severe. When someone steps over the line and becomes a whistleblower, there are usually negative consequences. I write in Extraordinary Circumstances about some of the things that happened not only to me, but to other members of my audit team. At times, we felt isolated. Some people were angry with me for reporting the fraud. However, most employees — even those who lost their jobs or large portions of their savings — were supportive.
I stayed with WorldCom for over two years after the fraud was reported and until it successfully emerged from bankruptcy. Corporate headquarters moved from Clinton to Ashburn, Virginia, and when I left, I was the last WorldCom vice president in Clinton. Except for my small internal audit team and a few remaining employees, the entire floor where we worked was a sea of empty cubicles. I wanted to start my own company and share this story with professionals and students. I also wanted to write Extraordinary Circumstances, which has taken much of my time over the past few years. Because this is not the path I ever expected to be on, I’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.
To read the rest of Cynthia's interview click here.
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