As we draw closer to the new year, everything old is new again. Dumb phones are cool, Gladiator is back in theaters, and, not for the first time, Donald Trump is going to be President. It makes sense then that Enron—a terrible, fraud-ridden company that defined the late 1990s—should choose this particular moment to plot its comeback.
An internet rumor made the rounds on Monday that the defunct energy company had been resurrected. A brand new website sporting the Enron logo popped up online with a video montage advertising the company’s return. Horrifyingly, the website also seems to point in the direction of a cryptocurrency integration, with numerous allusions to the web3 concept of “decentralization.”
“True innovation doesn’t ask for permission,” the site says. “Decentralized technology is advancing, and we will of course have a role to play in its future. We couldn’t be more excited to show you, but until then please stay vigilant and avoid falling for scams.” The site also teases some sort of upcoming announcement, which some onlookers have predicted will be a crypto token.
Meanwhile, a press release giving more vague information about the firm’s return also made the rounds. “Enron Corporation today announced its relaunch as a company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis,” the announcement read. “With a bold new vision, Enron will leverage cutting-edge technology, human ingenuity, and the spirit of adaptation to address the critical challenges of energy sustainability, accessibility, and affordability.”
Thankfully, it would appear that Enron’s comeback is little more than a joke. It should be noted that hidden within the new Enron website’s Terms of Service page is the following passage: “THE INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE IS FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED PARODY, REPRESENTS PERFORMANCE ART, AND IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.”
Further bolstering the theory that the new “Enron” is a farce, New York magazine has noted that the patent for the website’s logo appears to be held by a person connected to Birds Aren’t Real, the performance art stunt that posits a fake conspiracy theory that all birds are government manufactured robots. Gizmodo reached out to “Enron” for more information on its plans.
If you’ll recall, Enron was a natural gas company that rose to prominence in the 1990s by promoting such “innovations” as deregulated electrical markets. The company also pioneered early commercial applications for broadband video streaming and teleconferencing. When it was discovered in 2001 that the company’s books were cooked, it kicked off a spiraling scandal that ended with a congressional investigation and Enron’s North American CEO being found dead in a car. The company went bankrupt as a result.
