Pig in a poke
From WardleyPedia
Also known as “putting lipstick on a pig”, this is the process of creating a situation where others believe the toxic asset has long term value and disposing of it through sale before the toxicity reveals itself.
From chapter 11 in the book:
A mechanism of dressing up a liability as some form of future business before divesting to a third party.[1]
Key Elements
Context
Examples
Counter Plays
The counter play would be for either a potential buyer, who might be misled about the value or perhaps by third-party industry observers who might draw the wrong conclusion from the transaction.
In both cases, the cure would be situational awareness (so you can recognize a dead-end technology) and due diligence (so that you can understand the core elements of the business being sold).
