Which is worse, less than expected Q4 numbers, or O'Reilly's departure? Either Corel Linux will sell or it won't. Struggling over "hype" or revenue recognition is not going to change the "saleability" of Corel Linux. My bet is that Corel Linux will pick up speed as time rolls on. So does the market. And shortly, more of the market will too.
With all the credit Dr. Cowpland has given to Mr. O'Reilly, I strongly doubt that he would struggle with him on numbers. Besides, I'll bet Dr. Cowpland prefers his stock up in the $44 range rather than in single digits.
Without details we can speculate on the suddenness of the announcement, but Dr. Cowpland is showing plenty of gratitude, at least publicly, to Mr. O'Reilly. I'll bet beneath the surface there is probably a more simple reason for the announcement, and the "timing" of it.
Here's my spectacle....ahem....I mean speculation: Mr. O'Reilly has been on the job about two years. He's probably a CPA at heart. He may have found he didn't enjoy the position, the pressures, the company culture, the industry, and maybe just the personalities. Mr. O'Reilly may have simply found the surge in the share price a convenient opportunity to exit.
Who really can say unless more details are known. Maybe the market should wait until an announcement comes as to a replacement, then judge. We will all probably find that today's sell-off was overdone.
Bullish,
Scott |
