New Era of Networks Inc SVP worldwide marketing Michael Donaldson says he bailed out of Crossworlds Software Inc last November when it became clear that the company simply couldn’t live up to the expectation it was creating. However the irony is that Dondalson – who says he certainly wasn’t responsible for Crossworlds’ ‘little black dress’ campaign – also needs Crossworlds to succeed. Customers are going to be less willing to spend money with Neon and other EAI ISVs if they see such high-profile EAI advocates going down, Donaldson argues. As for Crossworlds’ IPO still being on track, Donaldson’s only observation is to ask whether it is normal for a company to lose so many senior executives just before going public.