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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: engineer who wrote (44992)	3/10/2005 3:29:49 PM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 196725

Regarding succession, I would add that Xerox is a good example of what happens when a finance type replaces an engineer. When Xerox was just starting its copier business, it was headed by a very capable engineer, and the whole company was oriented to solving the engineering problems in office copiers. As the company grew, the engineering orientation of the old guard was replaced by finance types with fancy business school degrees. They believed that Xerox should pay more attention to financing its copier sales and leases and directed a great deal of their energies to areas such as insurance, which they believed would generate the cash flow necessary for the copier business. They even changed their head office location from Rochester, NY to Connecticut, in order to be closer to financial centers. It turned out to be a disastrous move because in the process, Xerox lost its technology edge, and worse, it took several years for Xerox to come up with anything as good as Canon and others in smaller desktop or home office machines. Lately Xerox has again emphasized engineering, but most of its efforts go into the high end machines, some of which are designed to replace traditional offset printing. They are doing better, but they still have a long way to go. I'm happy that QUALCOMM chooses to emphasize its technology research and development--a strategy that hopefully will keep companies like Texas Instruments continually playing catch up. Art

To: engineer who wrote (44992)	3/10/2005 3:36:47 PM
From: slacker711	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 196725

Tony was a wonderful finance type, good Ops guys, and just an overall very nice hard working person. He will be VERY hard to replace. You are right, we havent talked much about Tony leaving but he has done a great job over the years. I really like Keitel so hopefully, things continue smoothly on the finance side of things. I'm curious how you see Steve Altman in the President's chair...he has never had a very high profile to investors so I dont know much about him (besides the ironclad royalty agreements that he seems to have negotiated). Slacker

To: engineer who wrote (44992)	3/11/2005 2:45:39 PM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 196725

General Instruments ... engineer, << I played golf with the Chairman of the board of General Instruments a few weeks ago >> Former (one of many) or is there a new company forming to resurrect the now defunct General Instruments or is there some remnant of GI still alive somewhere operating under that name rather than others? Curious minds that worked with their corporate headquarters, divisions in NY, GA, and CA, for a dozen years would like to know. My favorite (small) division to work with was across the street from the Sheraton Grande Torrey Pines (now Hilton I think) in La Jolla and I could enjoy their corporate rate there and walk across the street to an 8 AM meeting with the GI folks the morning after checking in. Golf before or golf after. The division was run by techs that drove it in the ground but it sure was a nice bunch of folks and a nice place to stay, and we enjoyed some modest business from them before their el foldo. Had some nice business out of the Atlanta group as well, but not exactly worth the time and efort for any vendor. That one's now part of Rotomola I believe. Best, - Eric -