Thread regarding SAS Institute layoffs

200 more Viya developers would have only hastened the demise of SAS.

The rumor as it was passed on to me:

The Big German wanted to continue building Viya. To accomplish that, he requested 200 more developers. The CEO declined his request. At that point, the BG decided to leave.

I don't think that the Big German was punted; from what little I've been able to hear he was the one that punted.

'Most of the general public don't consider Viya a failure, because they've never heard of it."

You nailed it with a good example of how ignorance can be bliss. If Viya was successful the chatter about that coming from SAS would be deafening.

And the Big German would not have been punted...

Most of the general public don't consider Viya a failure, because they've never heard of it.

SAS says the Viya user base is growing, although they don't release absolute sales figures. It may be growing from a small base, but that's enough to present in a positive light.

Late joining this thread and have read all comments.

OP asserts "Many on this board consider Viya a failure, but the general public does not."

Someone please show the proof that the general public does not consider Viya a failure.

@3sjo+1vx4WBJD You made me laugh. Thanks so much!

the hair again part has me convinced. so Viya helps me regrow hair, right? and gives stable revenue? cleans messes better than toilet paper? and since inflation will affect the TP soon, it's probably more inflation-resistant? how can I get started? and will I be able to get stock options?

@3sjo+1vx4WBJD

$3,000,000,000

@3mqt+1vx4WBJD

and with hair again!

taller, richer, younger, thinner

@2kxd+1vx4WBJD Says someone who has clearly not looked at sales.

"If only Viya could be a staple like toilet paper"

Unlike toilet paper, SAS gave Viya away for awhile and it still wasn't widely used. That is a sad statement for something that took over a decade to produce. Has SAS ever had a bigger loser than Viya?

@2dwq+1vx4WBJD It is a 3 billion dollar staple.

If only Viya could be a staple like toilet paper.

"consumer staples" stocks like soap, shampoo, toilet paper do well in a non-cyclical way there is steady demand regardless of the current state of the economy, and they have inflation-resistance. some of them have a record of increasing their dividend. if you build this kind of stability and predictability, lots of investors (such as retirees) want that. they even have good growth on top of the steady income. those stocks are famous, but don't get the constant media coverage.

tech stocks are essentially the opposite of that. low or no dividend, growth is what investors want/need, and what the companies (and their employees) need. they do try to build up switching costs, but many other forces can reduce those.

Revenue growth is great…..

But do some research and you will find plenty of public companies that have stagnant or slow growth and do fine. They aren’t going to be the stock superstars you hear about but they don’t need to be.

3 billion stable(?) revenue that is profitable has value. Pretending that it doesn’t is weird.

Would we prefer growth. Of course. Are we trying to get growing again. Of course.
Will it be successful? Wtf knows.

But 10% profit , if we can get there on regular basis, is ~75 million per quarter.
Do some research on existing tickets and tell me it is pure doom and gloom.

If revenue is stable (we don’t know), it will probably look like three years of profit growth (outsourcing, layoffs, buildings closing, retirements, lower overall salaries, odds and ends like airplane operations off the books, pockets of growth ($100 became $200), etc). Not an accountant but there must be much more (still complying with GAAP) that will make things look their best.

This alleged IPO will be the tree that falls in the forest with no one around to hear it.

The fundamentals for a IPO simply are not in place. Investors must believe that $1 invested in SAS will yield more than $1 at some point in the future. There's no reasons to believe that will be the case.

Unless the billionaire buys up the bulk of his company's shares, which is pretty unlikely, no one with half a brain is going to see the financials and think SAS looks like a company on the rise.

If there is an IPO, it will flop.

Stocks went up the first week after the win due to jubilation for more tax cuts for corporations and rich people.
Stocks went down last week because of the news of his selections of some shady people for his Cabinet positions that will put national security at risk, plus news of mass deportations that will affect businesses, and all the tariffs causing prices to go up, and several companies in Ohio already announced layoffs for 2025 due to tariffs. Some companies in Ohio already cut year-end bonuses for employees since they need to use that money to stock up their import supplies for a year in anticipation of tariffs hitting in January.

Stocks go up and down based on sensitive news.

“The financial markets liked Trump's win; that's why the stock market went up. Republicans, particularly businessmen, generally prefer looser regulations, which make mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs more frequent, so that is what's expected.”

Is that why the stock market went up after election? Is it also why it tanked after the rally?
I’m an avid investor and can tell you the pattern post election hasn’t been different than the rest of the year. Unless you are talking TSLA and DJT and a few others.

Such things are based on equal mix emotions and fundamentals these days. Not a good indicator of things.

What looser regulations? None of those have occurred yet. They might. And they might not. And whether they swing your way in an ipo is unknown at this point.

IPO ready in 2025? Maybe. There are 12 months to be "in" 2025. I wouldn't expect the ready state to be in the Q1-Q3 timeframe. A lot can happen in 12 months.

“SAS has publicly announced they will meet SEC requirements to IPO in 2025. You are, of course, free to disbelieve them; but they will either be ready or look foolish.”

They initially publicly announced they’d be IPO-ready in 2024 and had to walk that back. Was the 2025 announcement more definite than the 2024 statement? I honestly don’t recall.

SAS has publicly announced they will meet SEC requirements to IPO in 2025. You are, of course, free to disbelieve them; but they will either be ready or look foolish.

The financial markets liked Trump's win; that's why the stock market went up. Republicans, particularly businessmen, generally prefer looser regulations, which make mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs more frequent, so that is what's expected.

https://siliconangle.com/2024/04/01/sas-innovate-generative-ai-sasinnovate/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-ipo-window-could-reopen-after-2-brutal-years-amid-trump-trade-exuberance-090052340.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/ipo-market-holdouts-look-to-2025-as-trump-retakes-white-house

"How exactly have financial conditions improved already? Be specific."

If financial conditions had improved you would not be asking the question because you would have repeatedly heard the buzz about such. Instead, there are crickets. Silence sometimes speaks the loudest and sadly that seems to be the case here.

Oh, I suspect there are still some pretty big gaaps at this point.

have there been audited GAAP-compliant financial statements for three years? I assume the people who know the actual answers don't read or comment about it on the internet.

otherwise, yes, everyone here is obviously getting richer, thinner, healthier, better looking, taller, and younger.

Wishful thinking on your part.
My wishful thinking is I'll be thinner, taller, prettier, younger, healthier, and richer for next year but I know it won't happen.

"Many on this board consider Viya a failure"

Flat revenue says Viya is a failure and speaks louder than any voice on here.

"Many on this board consider Viya a failure, but the general public does not"

The general public has never heard of Viya and hardly anyone under the age of 50 has even heard of SAS.

This IPO thing is all a bit ridiculous really. Can't see it ending well.

How exactly have financial conditions improved already? Be specific.

And next year I'll be thinner. Taller, too.