Is the Borg in bed with vendors?

Vinnie says the Gartner Borg is "defensive of vendors, especially large ones":
deal architect : The Stockholm Syndrome

Well, given the ammount of bitching we heard from AR professionals on Tragic Quadrants or renewals we doubt the relationship is as cosy as Vinnie says. However, for having witnessed the pitiful spectacle of a same VP being interviewed by Peter Sondergaard in 2002 and 2003 it is fair to say that Gartner analysts are not very challenging in public, so seeing Amy going against that trend is reassuring.

Is that what clients want though? Are C-level execs who attend Symposium expecting a Punch & Judy show?

ARmadgeddon's take: while there's a fine line between fruitless controversy the META way and challenging vendors in a balanced way, we nevertheless agree with Vinnie that the real value for users lies in the advice analysts provides buyers. Gartner's strategy of moving to a leveraged model and away from consulting, it might open up avenues for other firms offering negotiation advisory services.