Alan Greenspan’s financial deregulation agenda set the scene for Ireland’s financial crash

Alan Greenspan’s mixed legacy as Federal Reserve chairman

Greenspan, Federal Reserve chairman 1987–2006 (died at 100), leveraged tech-productivity theory to maintain low rates through 1990s growth but his hands-off regulation stance enabled housing bubbles in mid-2000s. His inaction catalyzed the 2008 crisis with lasting global consequences, illustrating the cost when governance lags systemic scale—a principle relevant to tech leaders managing innovation cycles and AI governance frameworks.