收購(gòu)黑莓只是一個(gè)傳說(shuō)
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????到目前為止，看來(lái)黑莓（Blackberry）還沒(méi)有被Fairfax金融收購(gòu)，也沒(méi)被高通（Qualcomm）、瑟伯勒斯資本管理公司（Cerberus）、SAP、谷歌（Google）、聯(lián)想（Lenovo）、Facebook等公司收購(gòu)。當(dāng)然，更沒(méi)有被我姨媽卡羅爾買(mǎi)下。我想表達(dá)的意思是，它們都是這家有望成為Palm第二公司的潛在買(mǎi)家。 ????11月4日上午，加拿大企業(yè)黑莓宣布，由于同屬加拿大的保險(xiǎn)集團(tuán)Fairfax未能籌措到足夠資金，黑莓將放棄與后者達(dá)成的47億美元出售協(xié)議。 ????黑莓同時(shí)還宣布解雇首席執(zhí)行官托斯騰?海因斯，同時(shí)發(fā)行可轉(zhuǎn)換債券融資10億美元，其中Fairefax將購(gòu)買(mǎi)2.5億美元。這實(shí)際標(biāo)志著出售黑莓的議案已告一段落。債券為期7年，票面利率為6%，在黑莓股價(jià)達(dá)到10美元時(shí)可選擇轉(zhuǎn)換為普通流通股。（比黑莓上周五收盤(pán)時(shí)股價(jià)高出28.7%——不過(guò)本周一隨著壞消息傳出，黑莓股價(jià)再次暴跌。） ????塞貝斯公司（Sybase）前首席執(zhí)行官程守宗將出任黑莓臨時(shí)首席執(zhí)行官。程守宗還是私募資本公司銀湖資本（Silver Lake）的高級(jí)顧問(wèn)?！俱y湖曾打算收購(gòu)戴爾（Dell），但對(duì)黑莓沒(méi)表現(xiàn)出過(guò)半點(diǎn)興趣?！?/p> ????誠(chéng)然，許多深陷泥潭的科技公司最終都落得無(wú)人問(wèn)津的地步。即便一些鼎鼎大名的公司也是如此。不過(guò)，它們總是向媒體宣稱有許多求購(gòu)者——直到最后一刻還不忘抓住大家的眼球。黑莓的情況有些不同，迄今為止，鮮有媒體指破它自編自演的這出好戲。讓我們看看下面幾個(gè)例子： ????? 路透社（Reuters）：思科（Cisco）、谷歌、SAP探討收購(gòu)黑莓。 ????? 華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)（WSJ）：聯(lián)想接洽黑莓 ????? 紐約時(shí)報(bào)（NY Times）：高通和瑟伯勒斯考慮聯(lián)合收購(gòu)黑莓 ????? 華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)：黑莓上周與Facebook探討收購(gòu)可能 ????很多時(shí)候，當(dāng)我致電這些報(bào)道中提到的潛在“買(mǎi)家”，聯(lián)系這些公司企業(yè)發(fā)展部門(mén)的人，通常會(huì)出現(xiàn)下面這樣的對(duì)話： ????我：貴公司是否在考慮收購(gòu)黑莓？ ????他們：沒(méi)有。
????我：但有報(bào)道稱你們有意收購(gòu)黑莓，你們對(duì)此怎么看？ ????他們：黑莓的人邀請(qǐng)了我們，我們赴會(huì)完全是出于禮貌。 ????最明顯的破綻就是，每周都會(huì)傳出有某家新的公司有意收購(gòu)黑莓，但此前傳出有意收購(gòu)的公司卻再也沒(méi)了動(dòng)靜。更別提Fairfax最初提出的收購(gòu)案中，居然沒(méi)有規(guī)定毀約費(fèi)。 ????我明白，黑莓被收購(gòu)的報(bào)道能帶來(lái)很多點(diǎn)擊量，但要到什么時(shí)候，編輯對(duì)報(bào)道真實(shí)性的堅(jiān)持才會(huì)壓倒對(duì)點(diǎn)擊量的渴求？情況往往是，假如收購(gòu)案最終成真，反倒不會(huì)有什么報(bào)道了。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)） ????譯者：項(xiàng)航???? |
????Well, it looks like Blackberry (BBRY) isn't being acquired by Fairfax Financial. Or by Qualcomm. Or by Cerberus, SAP, Google, Lenovo, Facebook or my Aunt Carol. From what I can tell, they all were equally likely buyers for this generation's version of Palm. ????The Canadian company this morning announced that its $4.7 billion "agreement" with Fairfax is off, after the Canadian insurance conglomerate failed to line up financing. ????In fact, the entire sale attempt is dead – with Blackberry instead tossing CEO Thorsten Heins and agreeing to sell US$1 billion in convertible notes to Fairfax ($250m) and other investors. The debentures have a 7-year term, 6% coupon and are convertible into common stock at a price of US$10 per share (28.7% premium to Friday's closing price – although shares are tanking on the news). ????The new interim CEO will be John Chen, the former Sybase CEO who had been serving as a senior advisor to private equity firm Silver Lake (which, for the record, went all-in for Dell but wouldn't touch Blackberry with a 10-foot keyboard). ????To be sure, lots of struggling tech companies fail to get acquired. Even well-known ones. And, along the way, they often insist to reporters that there are interested suitors-- in a desperate plea for one last bout of attention. What was unusual with Blackberry, however, is how few reporters called the obvious bluff. Just look at this sampling ????? Reuters: Cisco, Google, SAP discussing BlackBerry bids ????? WSJ: Lenovo Approaches BlackBerry ????? NY Times: Qualcomm and Cerberus Join a Bid for BlackBerry ????? WSJ: BlackBerry Met With Facebook Last Week on Potential Bid ????In many of those cases, I called corporate development folks at the possible "buyer." Usually it went like this: ????Me: Are you considering a Blackberry bid? ????Them: No. ????Me: Then what do you make of the reports? ????Them: They asked us to look, so we took the meeting as a courtesy. ????The key tell was how a new suitor was leaked each week, rather than the prior suitor becoming more serious. Not to mention the fact that Fairfax structured its initial "bid" without being required to pay a breakup fee. ????I know that Blackberry acquisition stories generated lots of clicks, but at what point does editorial judgment overwhelm self-interest? If a deal ultimately happens, it will be for scrap. And that was always the case. |
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