In the early days, ADL was hired to solve a variety of chemical problems, from the mystery of a Massachusetts baker’s “tainted cake” (solution: don’t bake lemon meringue pie near a gas station) to surveying the market for insecticides for a chemicals company. ADL went on to design Tokyo’s and London’s stock exchanges, to lead the privatization of the British railway system, and to help deregulate European telecommunications—in each case finding more and more sophisticated ways to squeeze private profits out of public goods.
