It is certainly quite possible that "Phil, just bring me a forecast that shows how much we need to sell to break even" is a gross misrepresentation of what he actually said, but if it is at all true then Sherman did in fact literally not understand the concept of margins.
If he said exactly that. And, if he meant exactly that. And, If there's no other context. And if...
But, Phil seems to be unsynched with himself. On one hand he accuses Mr. Sherman of literally not understanding margins. On the other hand he clearly implies that Mr. Sherman deliberately avoided talk of margins/profits in a company meeting because he was a "master marketer" who "led a management meeting that focused on an awesome feel good marketing plan."
So, by that, he is clearly indicating that he thought Mr. Sherman understood margins well. So well that he was deft enough to avoid speaking of them; instead using his "master marketer" skills to somehow mislead management and divert their attention away from margins.
Completely contradicts the notion that he didn't know what margins were.
And why on earth is Phil speculating about one side of phone conversations that he overheard? That's not his place (as a controller), and it's amateurish at best.
There are some "interesting" statements being thrown around in the article. They seem to be gossipy, reckless and, at best, inconsistent.
