Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (18638)	3/1/1998 11:11:00 AM
From: John Koligman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

On the lighter side... I just heard a news FLASH that that the sorry state of CPQ has caught the eye of Bill Gates. Rumors have been flying that Bill, his chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold, and sidekick Paul Allen were all spotted at a Smith Barney office in Bellevue, Washington this past Friday. The story is that Bill has opened a MARGIN account with Smith Barney. He is depositing his Microsoft stock (now worth 45 billion since the pop after the split announcement - yes, Bill was overhead saying some stocks do go 'up' after such news). Now get this, apparently Bill's plan is to simply BUY the Compaq Computer Corporation ON MARGIN, using his stock as collateral!!!! He again was overheard saying he was going to clean house, and that the CPQ executives would soon have 'all the time in the world' to wash their Porsches and buff those scratches out. He also had some comments for that pesky little Michael Dell, something to the effect 'wonder what Mikey will think when he finds out how much Microsoft software preloads are going to cost Compaq now'!! The long term plan is for Bill to pay margin interest using Compaq's profits, whip the company into shape, and then sell it back to the public at a substantial premium.... John