IBM, Sun Acquisition Deal Collapses
The New York Times today reports that IBM has withdrawn its offer of $7 billion for Sun Microsystems.
Last week, talk of IBM’s Sun acquisition hit an all time high. With news that the latter was letting staff go in order to slim down for the buyout, and then reports that IBM was put forward a $9.50 per share or $7 billion offer. On Friday the New York Times reported that IBM was all set to fork out $7 billion for longtime rival, Sun. Citing people familiar with the discussions (and not authorized to speak publicly, oops), IBM was reportedly offering $9.50 a share, down from a bid of $10 a share. Sources said the new agreement would restrict IBM’s ability to walk away from the deal.
Yesterday the NYT reported that IBM had taken the $7 billion offer off the table. Apparently Sun’s board balked at the offer and IBM withdrew.
According to the Times, IBM reduced it’s offer from $9.55 per share to $9.40 on Saturday, following a legal review. The offer was then presented to Sun’s board on Saturday, and the board recoiled. While the offer was not rejected the right off the bat, the NYT reports that Sun wanted wanted certain guarantees that IBM considered “onerous.” Sun then said it would no longer abide by its exclusive negotiating agreement with IBM and on Sunday, IBM withdrew its offer completely.
The weekend’s events leave the fate of Sun hanging in the balance. While the company has opened itself up to other potential buyers, previous reports of the deal with IBM made it sound like a sure thing and it seems premature for Sun to have shunned the company during what would have been the final stages of a long sought after agreement.
Bloomberg reports that Sun shares slumped as much as 28 percent in European trading after the news. Sun’s shares rose more than 2 percent, to $8.21 last week following news of the $7 billion offer.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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eklipz330 this is good, you can't just BUY the sun, ITS THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE FOR GOD SAKES!Reply
than they would start charging for sunlight per hour, and gosh it would just be a terrible mess after that -
Greatwalrus Noooo, I felt like IBM was the best chance to save Sun's products :( (ie. Open source Open Office). But I guess it would be better if they would just not sell in the first place, unless they really need to.Reply -
Pei-chen What ever happened to the Yahoo, MS deal anyway? Did Yahoo rejected MS's offer and have to settle for lower as expected?Reply
I think SUN is over its head if it thinks other company (read, Google) is going to come in and saves it. -
megamanx00 The fools, fools I say. The unrealistic expectations of the board is one of the major reasons the company is in a downhill slide in the first place. They will be kicking themselves when they go bankrupt or someone buys the company for $5 a share.Reply -
Greatwalrus megamanx00The fools, fools I say. The unrealistic expectations of the board is one of the major reasons the company is in a downhill slide in the first place. They will be kicking themselves when they go bankrupt or someone buys the company for $5 a share.Reply
Yep, I agree. Stupid decision, unless a miracle can happen for them - stocks are down 25% at the moment.