#acquisition

Frontier is a Verizon company .. now all Frontier and Verizon employee together.

What is going on with Honeywell Life Sciences and the Sparta Systems acquisition? Seems like a merry go round of leader change. Almost recognize no one anymore.

Private equity firms are increasingly impacting Michigan's manufacturing sector through acquisitions and consolidations. This ownership model often leads to increased efficiency, which can result in significant layoffs. Companies like Trystar and Autokiniton have recently announced substantial workforce reductions. These actions highlight a trend of private equity-driven restructuring within the state's industrial landscape. The long-term effects on the Michigan workforce are a growing concern.

Troy, Michigan

https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-links-to-michigan-bankruptcies-layoffs-union-busting/

Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Hank Johnson launched an investigation into Amazon MGM Studios over its $75 million total financial commitment—comprising a $40 million acquisition cost and $35 million marketing budget—for the documentary Melania, questioning whether the deal constitutes a corrupt pay-to-play bribe.

Acquisition Cost: Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the self-titled documentary, outbidding competitors like Disney by roughly $26 million.

Payout to Melania Trump: An estimated 70% of the purchase price (about $28 million) went directly to Melania Trump's production company.

Marketing Budget: An additional $35 million was allocated for promotion, far exceeding typical budgets for high-end feature documentaries.

Box Office Return: The film grossed $16.6 million globally during its theatrical run, falling far short of recouping Amazon's investment

What is the timeline for moving all GP execution roles to India? I heard there was a report recently to move in this direction.

Software firm Qualtrics has eliminated 117 positions at its Seattle location. These layoffs follow the company's recent acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta. Employees were notified of the cuts on August 19th, with their last day being October 18th. The company stated these decisions were made to integrate operations and create a unified team. This action is part of a broader restructuring effort to eliminate duplicate roles.

Seattle, Washington

http://www.chronline.com/stories/software-maker-qualtrics-cuts-117-jobs-in-seattle,407566?

Questioning Maryann Mannen’s M&A experience / strength. There were rumors of a large Gulf Coast refinery acquisition that never materialized. Then leaked merger talks with P66 that fell short. These events happened when crack spreads were in the high teens and low $20’s. Imagine how either one could have further energized MPC’s share price now that crack spreads are running $60-&70. Any thoughts on possible missed opportunities by our CEO?

Just heard from a colleague, that some of the stores that were divested in the last year are underperforming from a contractual standpoint, specifically BeMobiles in the northeast (was called out specifically, apparently they haven’t been able to prove that they can scale with their business model) and that at the end of the year the 1 year contracts they signed on with are being looked at. Sounds like Cellular Sales and TCC are front runners to take over most locations in northeast.

Read on earlier posts that WellMed is planned to be sold by Optum by the end of the year, is that true?

As a long standing employee, I pinpointed the exact time and reason why we started going down hill and the main culprit was Dan Schulmann. Rather than using the post Covid high to become a fully fledged online bank competing with likes of JP Morgan Chase and Citi , he chased mirage acquisitions like Honey and Pinterest. Alex Chriss came and realized the mistake a bit late. Now it's too late. We would most likely be acquired by a bank we could have been.

A few weeks back I posted about recognizing a few Advent guys in the SJ office (and no they weren’t hanging out in the lobby). My post was taken down because I mentioned names. I don’t think they are done trying to buy us. Time will tell.

Looks like Vivek is out . Verizon IT unit as a whole will go to Deloitte

New company purchased as I see more layoff posts on LinkedIn and numerous posts from India about just getting hired (as well as interns accepting roles).

New company is Ai related so at least they know stuff.

Llamasoft SCDP acquired for $1.5B out, Scoutbee in. No announcement.

Vertex Completes $10 Billion Acquisition Of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals

https://pulse2.com/vertex-completes-10-billion-acquisition-of-crinetics-pharmaceuticals/

Penn State has announced layoffs affecting 31 full-time employees at WPSU as the public broadcasting station transitions to new ownership. Many of these employees are anticipated to transfer to the acquiring entity, with some already receiving job offers. This development follows the Penn State Board of Trustees' approval of the sale of WPSU to WHYY in October 2025. The station's transfer is currently undergoing review by the Federal Communications Commission, which includes a public comment period. University officials anticipate the acquisition to be finalized by mid-September, with contract extensions available if FCC approval is delayed.

University Park, Pennsylvania

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/administration/penn-state-announces-layoffs-for-wpsu-employees-many-expected-to-be-hired-by-whyy/article_6a5bae7e-9d0e-4926-b20b-0c9076e2c954.html

Just remember that there is more accountability for a mid-level IC than there is for Enrique. He’ll fail and get a golden handshake deal while our colleagues are laid off and job hunting in the worst job market in our lifetime.

F PayPal “leadership”, F the board. They have ki-led what was once upon a time a fintech leader and they have ZERO vision to bring it back from the dead. I would have welcomed a Stripe acquisition even at that number. At least they have some kind of trajectory.

Sorry to all who have been affected. I hope we all find better gigs. Check on your friends.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/ibm-stock-quantum-computing-1384b7c4

By: Mackenzie Tatananni | Updated Aug 31, 2026, 11:11 am EDT / Original Aug 31, 2026, 10:39 am EDT

In their latest research note, Susquehanna analysts raised a question most tech investors probably have considered at least once: “When do investors need to own IBM for quantum?”

The line of questioning makes sense, considering IBM’s quantum division has drummed up plenty of attention in recent months—a bright spot at a time when the stock is under pressure.

Second-quarter earnings were the latest reminder of IBM’s sluggish organic growth, compounded by new threats including customers reallocating their budgets to artificial-intelligence hardware.

Shares have slumped 19% since July 14, anchored by a record plunge the same day IBM pre-announced earnings. In contrast, the S&P 500 has gained 2.1% over the same period.

As other business lines face headwinds, IBM’s quantum division has been a shining star in its portfolio. Susquehanna analyst James Friedman ticked off a number of recent developments including IBM’s acquisition of HRL Laboratories to bolster its hardware capabilities and a partnership with the Commerce Department to build Anderon, a standalone quantum chip foundry to serve IBM itself as well as industry players.

Still, it may seem difficult to consider quantum a cornerstone of IBM’s business. Although Big Blue has researched the technology since before the turn of the 21st century—and contributed to major scientific breakthroughs along the way—the effort generates paltry revenue. Researchers are banking on big technological advances before the end of the decade to usher in broader commercialization.

Friedman is tempering his expectations. “With a number of upcoming quantum catalysts on the horizon, each deliverable keeps accelerating,” he wrote Monday. “At the same time, there is a lot more to getting IBM’s fundamentals right as the other segments transform.”

The analyst flagged a renewed focus on software within the consulting arm, marked by a new leadership appointment, and limited growth in IBM’s Red Hat software business due to passing server supply constraints. There is also the “math of the mainframe cycle” to consider: Revenue was delayed rather than lost, with 40% of the deals that slipped in the second quarter closing early in the following period.

While Friedman remains Neutral-rated on IBM shares, he raised his price target to $235 from $225. The revision reflects upcoming catalysts expected to generate buzz around the technology, particularly the annual Quantum World Congress meeting in late September.

INDIANAPOLIS and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Merida Biosciences, Inc. (Merida), a biotechnology company advancing a new class of precision therapeutics for serious autoimmune and allergic diseases, today announced a definitive agreement for Lilly to acquire Merida.

https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-acquire-merida-biosciences-advance-treatments-serious

ESPN has reportedly laid off numerous employees, primarily impacting its football coverage. Among those let go is injury analyst Stephania Bell, who had been with the network for nearly two decades. The cuts also affected former NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero and NFL analyst Ryan Clark. This wave of dismissals follows ESPN's recent acquisition of NFL Network. In contrast, college football analyst Tim Tebow has received a contract extension.

Miami, Florida

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/miami-alum-stephania-bell-among-162353414.html

It appears that the UK hub is being replaced by India and it being made a main technical hub. I guess we did train our own replacements.

It’s time to throw in the towel, this nonsense story of some kinda turnaround has been going on since the CQ acquisition. I am not sure why Wall Street and Financial Analyst believe this bull#sh-t.

Reporting to Lesher in what they are calling a strategic advisory role as a vice chair of wholesale banking. Interesting to say the least!

I mean we match on colors and both have a clowns running the show.

Seeing signs of L3Harris Communication Systems transitioning more of its footprint and resource allocation out of Upstate New York toward its primary base in Florida. From a strategic standpoint, the driver behind this is clear. ​Labor Overhead: Tapping into lower operational and labor costs in Florida compared to New York.
​Tax Advantages: Leveraging a far more corporate-friendly tax environment in FL.
​Talent Pipeline: Positioning the segment directly in Florida’s heavily concentrated defense tech corridor, providing access to a larger pool of cleared engineering and manufacturing personnel.
​It seems like another example of major defense primes consolidating operations into lower-cost, business-friendly hubs. Has anyone heard timeline specifics or how much of the legacy Rochester presence will ultimately remain?

It makes no sense. Anyone has a plausable explanation?

I know people have strong opinions about this.

My company was just purchased by Ametek. What can we expect?

Part of the Cigna / HealthSpring acquisition here. Over at Cigna part of the business strategy was buying companies and quickly incorporating them into our BO operations. On the other hand, HCSC seems like a kid in fourth grade trying to figure out a college level manual. How are we still waiting on decisions here almost two years in? When will Igor come up with a definitive direction around AI? The townhall where he said "100 years ago, people didn't know they wanted a car, they just wanted faster horses" was a fancy little tidbit. Well, Igor, using your own analogy, we don't want a car or a horse, we just want to start moving. When are you going to get out of the way and let the team race forward?

Anduril Industries is investing an additional $1 billion into a new campus in Long Beach, California. This expansion will include facilities for offices, labs, and prototype manufacturing. The company is developing advanced technologies such as drones and autonomous fighter jets. In contrast, Autodesk is reducing its workforce by approximately 1,000 employees. These layoffs are attributed to strategic realignments and a focus on artificial intelligence leadership.

Long Beach, California

https://www.latimes.com/0000019b-fd37-dccc-a3bb-ff3fc3ce0000-123

I guess those assets in Angola we are selling off aren’t technically being layed off.
But, probably a good thing to get out from under Chevron while they can.

Who’s next. APAC?

Why do you think infineon bought C2I semi in bangalore? Infineon already has multiphase controllers and power stages but they are US based. TI's multiphase team is in bangalore and a faction created C2I. I see the same migration to bangalore happening at Infineon. What do other's think?

I noticed they took down a post where someone saw Advent employees on site in SJ

https://theenergyyear.com/news/shell-looks-to-offload-up-to-8-billion-of-us-business/

Selling, but leasing back for 15 years is what I've heard.

Now that Mike Lipps is running Coupa, I’m curious what former/current Qlik employees can share about his operating style there.

How did he approach layoffs, reorganizations, replacing C-level executives, acquisitions/integration, and cost cutting? Was he generally a “steady the ship” CEO, or did he make pretty significant changes when he came in?

I’m particularly interested in what actually happened on the ground versus the official company messaging.

Is Baker looking to merge locations in Houston with Chart.