COMPUTERS: The Son Also Sets

Sons of famous men often stumble when they try to follow in their father's footsteps. That fate has befallen Frederick Wang, 38, son of Wang Laboratories founder An Wang. The younger Wang, who took over as president of the troubled company nearly three years ago, gave up the job last week. He was apparently pushed out by his father, who retains the chairmanship and who told a reporter that he graded his son at "75%." A new president will be recruited from outside.

Frederick Wang's departure came a week after the firm reported a $424 million loss for the fiscal year ending in June. Wang Lab's woes stem from its failure to shift from minicomputers to industry-standard personal computers.

Even before last month, when the senior Wang underwent surgery for cancer of the esophagus, Wall Street suspected that the family-controlled company might be put up for sale. Now that Wang's heir apparent has stepped aside, that prospect seems even more likely.