Back on August 17, after the breach was known to the company, but before the information was released publicly, Equifax CEO Rick Smith spoke to a group at the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business.
Early in his talk he boasts about he "transformed" the company from one that "didn't have any innovation" with "average talent", which he changed into a "global data and analytics company" by "innovating at a faster rate."
He gave this talk knowing about the data breach.
Below you can watch his entire talk.
Since the breach has been made public, Equifax's stock price has fallen about 35%.
Equifax is a major company in the Atlanta metro area, important not for its size, but because it supports many groups and institutions in Georgia since its headquarters is in Atlanta.
If the company is bought out, Atlanta will lose a major headquarters company, and many groups in Georgia will have less access to the corporate support for their activities now provided by Equifax.
