interesting article motley fool ceo departure puzzles enron investors enron president ceo suddenly unexpectedly announced leaving company earlier week stock got hammered due increased uncertainty exact reasons departure puzzling remain mystery probably last chapter hear story paul larson tmf parlay august 17 2001 plot around enron nyse ene thickened tuesday evening commodities market maker president ceo jeffrey skilling said leaving posts personal reasons skilling spent career rising ranks enron manned ceo post since february many saw skilling quite brash sharp egotistical one brought fair share youthful energy new age enron skilling resigned chairman kenneth lay man skilling took reins act president ceo permanent replacement found lay enron ceo 1985 earlier year largely behind company push become wholesale trading powerhouse today years sleepy gas line operator energy industry see latest issue motley fool select skilling bail first reason skilling cited departure vague personal reasons company skilling denied resignation health reasons kind secrecy resultant uncertainty sent stock diving losing roughly 6 14 market value extremely heavy volume two trading days since announcement made move especially puzzling since departure hitting skilling pocketbook hard since skilling leaving voluntarily receive severance package would reportedly worth 20 million cash stock forcefully pushed even skilling terrible job enron one would think would stick around wait axe fall instead leaving given potential windfall departure even riddling one considers roughly 2 million loan outstanding enron skilling skilling canned loan would forgiven importantly skilling fulfilled employment contract end year mere four months skilling could kept 2 million free clear many folks know pass 2 million four months work yet another oddity case wall street journal report one reasons skilling left enron faltering share price ironically fashion left directly responsible causing shares breach new annual low many long time enron investors may remember skilling brashly called enron shares undervalued back january saying stock trade 120 since skilling took helm stock done nothing fall losing half value past six months even though much stock weakness nothing company operating performance pressure living bullish projection supposedly difficult skilling still exact reasons sudden departure remain mystery today skilling company deny accounting problems improprieties behind resignation continue speak quite positively enron company reputation strong management week activities highly character investors may unsatisfied current state affairs information time little stay tuned