Bain may walk away from Fuji Soft

• Now they're competing hard, as evidenced by the Fuji Soft episode, viewing the long layoff as having made some Japanese companies flabby and undisciplined.

The bottom line: Bain always had the weaker hand here, despite support from the company's founding family, given that KKR holds a 34% stake in Fuji Soft and has the board on its side.