Made in Germany | A Different Kind of Boss

Ernst Prost is a rarity among businessmen. He openly promises that,if times got tough,he would sell his castle before laying off his employees. He says his 450 co-entrepreneurs are responsible for his company's success.Prost's firm Liqui-Moly produces car-care products like lube oils and additives. It has a turnover of more than 230 million euros a year -- in spite of the economic crisis and the pressure from larger competitors like Esso and Shell. Ernst Prost may be successful,but he certainly doesn't mince his words. He's taken out ads saying that the current economic crisis was sparked by power,greed and fear,and that those aren't qualities businesspeople should aspire to. Reporter Marion Hütter paid a visit to Liqui-Moly and spoke with the firm's employees about their unusual boss.

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[romanoswestwood]

@Lintflas The government didnt ratify it because they wanted to, but because they had to to calm the mob down. Btw there is no big difference between pirates and the government of that time, apart from the fact that one are on the sea and others are on land

[Lintflas]

@romanoswestwood

The social security system is a German invention, and I don't think that a pirate ship should be compared with a nationwide system.

[romanoswestwood]

@Lintflas Ironically the first "health care system/rights for the working class" were on pirate ships. But germany was the first western country to implement these things.

[plendin]

@romanoswestwood Agreed (btw. I'm German as well^^). But isn't "You better look happy (...)" an imperative? That's no question to you, romanoswestwood (for I'm sure you understood, what I wanted to say), i'm just wondering... - maybe there is some native English-Speaker here, who can help?

[Lintflas]

It were the Germans who introduced workers rights, unions and a social security system to the world.

[romanoswestwood]

@plendin @kMondrakken Yes he said it jokingly in the context plendin described. But still Prost uses an imperative form, so the tanslation cannot be "you're happy cause you work for me", but - "look happy! Because you can work for me!". I'm german mother-tongue and i see his irony, still, deutschewelleenglish tanslated it wrong. Thats my point.

[kMondrakken]

@romanoswestwood

he said it jokingly. Some British comedian once said that he finally got German humour when he realized that much of it is subtle stating of fact, not over the top exaggeration.

[Ruokanga]

@meProudToBeCaucasian Your communication ability is in very high gear. Are you disabled?

[plendin]

@romanoswestwood It is still meant as a joke though. More like: "And you better look happy in there, for you are allowed to work for me."

[thecruisingcars]

Great Products, great man!