Lehman email setuptools

A blast from the past!

The infamous "Lehman Brothers" email about Setuptools.

For those who may not know, Setuptools is a Python package manager, and Lehman Brothers was a global investment bank that filed for bankruptcy in 2008, contributing to the global financial crisis.

The email in question was sent by a Lehman Brothers employee, Paul Ramsey, on September 15, 2008, just hours before the bank's bankruptcy filing. The email was titled "Setuptools" and contained a brief message:

"Subject: Setuptools

We are writing to inform you that we are unable to continue our business operations. We are working with our regulators and other stakeholders to explore all available options, including a potential sale of the company. We will keep you updated on any developments.

Best regards, Paul Ramsey"

The email was sent to a list of recipients, including many prominent figures in the Python community, and was meant to inform them that Setuptools, which was a critical dependency for many Python projects, would no longer be maintained or supported.

The email became infamous because it was seen as a harbinger of the global financial crisis, and its timing was eerily coincidental with the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing. The email has since become a symbol of the chaos and uncertainty that surrounded the financial crisis.

In the years since, the email has been widely circulated and has become a sort of "inside joke" among Python developers and financial professionals.