gunby says that epstein told derek taylor that the merger with stigwood would bring new talent into the fold and would strengthen the operation. taylor remained unconvinced—stigwood, he said, had "a ruthless reputation, a cavalier style that upset more people than it pleased." epstein himself soon found himself at odds with his new partner—he was reportedly unhappy about stigwood's spending, was upset by stigwood renting a yacht for the bee gees, and was also angered by stigwood's unilateral decision to send alastair taylor to america on a business trip, a plan epstein overruled. it is claimed that epstein subsequently decided that he didn't want stigwood in the company.