The glass-and-metal building that Solyndra LLC began erecting alongside Interstate 880 in Fremont in September 2009 was something the Silicon Valley area hadn't seen in years: a new factory.

via www.sfgate.com

I find it interesting that Solyndra's leadership largely came from the semiconductor industry that widely uses what I have, in the past, called Field of Dreams marketing (as it states in this article from Bloomberg). In this case, those that ultimately ended up holding the bag are from the US taxpayer rolls.
You can get away with substandard marketing when you are in the business of selling to your peers, it seems, but when you actually have to reach out beyond your own circle, the results can be disasterous.