What do floor members of the New York Stock Exchange have in common with French President Jacques Chirac? The answer: John Thain.

In a little less than two-and-a-half years, the Big Board chief executive
has managed to leave all of them chagrined -- the floor members by his
effort to push the exchange toward greater automation, chiefly through this
March's merger with Archipelago Holdings, and Chirac by his bid to move into
truly global trading, as well as derivative products, through last month's
announced hookup with Euronext, which left the French leader publicly
fishing for a rival bidder.
 
Thain agreed to take the helm of the NYSE at arguably its darkest time...

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