GERMANY: WHY DID GM AND VW THINK ONE MAN VITAL TO THEIR BUSINESSES?

Any system that hinges on one irreplaceable person is deeply defective.

The great mystery about the Volkswagen espionage scandal isn't whether its red-hot production director stole secrets wholesale from his previous employer. Much odder is the conviction of both mighty companies, General Motors and VW, that their futures revolved around the vital services of one man.