Your right, there are so many details we dont see beyond the attention grabbing headline were everybody will naturaly go and instantly think `but all systems have a off switch, you pull the ruddy plug out` and with such headlines I'll bet most people were thinking that before even reading the article. This and how loved people in any form of finance, with HFT being one of the most loved area's. But with the blame culture in many area's of life, there will be investigations and somebody will either chuck themselfs onto a sword or somebody will be blamed and made a scapegoat. It is all down to confidence at the company from now and nomatter if they did the right things or the wrong things it is that alone that will dicate the fallout. Sad in many ways. RIM being a classic case were the media have controled the stock price, which has controled the media that control the consumers that just ends up in a deadly spiral of self forfilling doom and gloom, nomatter how well or badly they actualy do. I'm sure there are better examples but as you said, its down to company image. Nothing to do with anything else and that alone is the most important thing as a years income is not a problem if your around for more years, if it looks like you wont then it starts to spiral badly.
