I spoke with a headhunter in 1980 about DST and then again in 2000. The two different headhunters had the same things to warn me about:
DST failed when the "Toms" refused to hire anyone that had major unrelated DST (and I mean BFDS) experience. Why not hire an executive from Barclays? Credit Suisse? Kemper? John Nuveen? Or Goldman Sachs? No the Toms hired one of their exact clones and they all ignored SUBACCOUNTING. That ruined DST. The SS&C guys ran circles around DST even though they had a tiny company 20 years ago. They out thought and out competed DST and they bought DST. The Tom's would have never cut it anywhere but DST. Think JP Morgan would have hired them? Or Blackrock? No way!
ahhhhh......The DST was known as "dont stay there" back in 1981 when I started. Like a fool I did stay there too long. Tom and Tom did their best and stopped the Office Workers of America Union from providing any bargaining power to the DST staff. Yes the company strongly discouraged workers for voting for the union. Had the Union been allowed in, people wrongfully treated, not paid for overtime, or passed over for a promotion because they would not give their manager an intimate relationship could have recourse.
This is absolutely false! I spent over 30 years at DST! Tom and Tom did their best to educate and look after their employees which allowed me to retire at 55. DST started failing when Hooley took over, but it was his job and he and the board sold us out to the piece if sh-t bill stone.