It's too bad GL will never have to face the same humiliation as the 30 to 50% of existing staff who will be cut within 12 months of the sale. Would be fun to watch him pack all of his fake awards and ego into a box.

Life is definitely a streetwalker company.

"All potential buyers are approached, as opposed to going to a select few buyers for a potential deal."

A good analogy would be the comparison between an exclusive escort service and a streetwalker. Think what will happen to LIFE's stock price when the streetwalker approach fails.

"What does Full Auction mean?"
All potential buyers are approached, as opposed to going to a select few buyers for a potential deal.

What does Full Auction mean?

Rent the 90s movie "Barbarians At The Gates" it will explain everything about the LIFE buyout and also has an example of a full auction in it.

What does Full Auction mean?

Karma....

"Life has initiated a full auction process"

There are so many eBay auctions for LIFE that I can't find the right one. Yet another example of the crappy choice of stock symbol.

I guess you didn't see the report that Life has initiated a full auction process to sell the company?

BS LIFE will not be sold.

LLIFE

FOREVER

Or at least for another 3-4 months.

LLIFE

FOREVER

This is not complicated. Life is being sold so shareholders can finally make some $ and stop watching this POS company do nothing it says it will accomplish. And FYI, the shareholders who will do best are senior mgmt and BOD.

Life management proved over the years that they were incapable of creating value, hence the current situation. Say what you will about GE mgmt style, but at least they can create value for shareholders over the long term. Except reject ex-GE mgmt that think they can learn some buzz words and manage a "diagnostics" company. Finally this pathetic joke of a company will be off the map soon...

he BOD is negligent for letting this dog and pony show go on for so long. Only option to grow shareholder value now is to find a sucker to buy as all other means (organic growth, acquisitions) are no longer viable...

OK, so let's assume you're a shareholder who wants value "unlocked". The sucker (oh sorry, private equity buyer) must see an opportunity to make a 20% return in 18-24 months, or why enter a bidding war. For all the money they are being paid, why can't LIFE's current management find that same 20% opportunity and execute that plan to unlock even more shareholder value without the hassle paying all the lawyers involved in a buyout? Well, other than the fact that the current LIFE management has a track record of a decade of mediocrity.

Why does any Corp. sell out to PE and allow themselves to be subjected to ham-handed cost cutting and then sold off division by division by a bunch of know nothing money jockeys. The existing management does not have a clue about creating organic growth because they themselves have no technically ability and are greedy SOBs. Creating growth for shareholders is risky hard work and they would farm it out to PE and take the cheap bucks and run.

The BOD is negligent for letting this dog and pony show go on for so long. Only option to grow shareholder value now is to find a sucker to buy as all other means (organic growth, acquisitions) are no longer viable...

OK, so let's assume you're a shareholder who wants value "unlocked". The sucker (oh sorry, private equity buyer) must see an opportunity to make a 20% return in 18-24 months, or why enter a bidding war. For all the money they are being paid, why can't LIFE's current management find that same 20% opportunity and execute that plan to unlock even more shareholder value without the hassle paying all the lawyers involved in a buyout? Well, other than the fact that the current LIFE management has a track record of a decade of mediocrity.

GL blew his political chances so LT is his only paying option. I can't imagine any company with a market cap over say, 10 million, having an interest in his "experience". Dude is a nobody in the real world, but he some how continues to fool the board into thinking he has some sort of life science mojo.

Talk of GL wanting to stay on is BS. Only way to increase shareholder value (aka GL's options) is to sell this flaming turd before it implodes and people know it. GL's BS of staying on is one part ploy to make it seem like he isn't pulling the ripcord and trying to get out of Dodge before the sheriff arrives, one part Invitrogen pie in the sky, cult of personality thinking, one part GL has a vision about making NGS a common tool used in everyday medicine...except he ain't a scientist/doctor and has no f'n clue on what it will actually take to do that, and one part not wanting to give up the LIFE SHOW yet, because maybe PE will promise to let him keep doing the LIFE SHOW from his yacht...NOT!

The BOD is negligent for letting this dog and pony show go on for so long. Only option to grow shareholder value now is to find a sucker to buy as all other means (organic growth, acquisitions) are no longer viable...

GL blew his political chances so LT is his only paying option. I can't imagine any company with a market cap over say, 10 million, having an interest in his "experience". Dude is a nobody in the real world, but he some how continues to fool the board into thinking he has some sort of life science mojo.

Can't understand that, sources say he stands to make $450 million if he goes the TMO path and then gets laid off, its in his contract

Think you're off by a factor of ten on that amount (you're high, not low). I'm sure that the private equity route would yield him more, as his compensation package would be much less transparent to the outside world once the company is no longer listed on the NASDAQ and he's in charge of the dismantling. He would presumably be making a cut of each deal as he chops and sells.

Quit now and spare yourself the embarrassemnt of having to do the perp walk when they eliminate your position and escort you out the building.

You won't get the severance package if you quit now. Actually, I hope they will lay me off so that I can go back go HP Singapore as a R&D manager.

BA type reporting for duty. I'll use an analogy to help everyone understand what is going to happen.

Life Tech is like a closeted young gay boy from the midwest. Private equity is The Castro on a Friday night before a Pride parade. Life Tech is about to get stripped and passed around the neighborhood all night long, if you understand me. The only thing left of LT will be a bloody stump once the PE buzz saw is done

LOL... GL for some reason wants to go the PE route??? Can't understand that, sources say he stands to make $450 million if he goes the TMO path and then gets laid off, its in his contract. He likes PE because he wants to still run the company but running the company with a PE firm like KKR he will only make a quarter of that. Why would GL give up millions just so he can have a hand in running the new LIFE?

I had not allowed myself to be coerced by LIFE HR into taking all my vacation last year

How can you tell if LIFE HR are lying.

They are still breathing.

You really think HR have your interests at heart, right!!

With all this "unlocking of shareholder value" going down I now look back and wished I had not allowed myself to be coerced by LIFE HR into taking all my vacation last year. They said they were just looking out for my health and well being, when actually they were clearing the decks to lay off at will in 2013 when they start creating all this "shareholder value"

good article, states that GL is only selling LIFE because he wants a free hand to concentrate on sequencing and diagnostics. Selling to PE would allow him to keep control of the company..... and unlock share holder value....

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-12/life-takeover-at-lowest-valuati...

Our only hope now is if an activist investor like Carl Icahn or Bill Ackman steps in and Fs things up for the man. Basically throws a wrench into the proceedings, bids up the stock a little more and delays the inevitable.

Carl where are you? These LIFE investors are getting screwed, buy in and work this deal over.

...such a great company where people are the most valued resource<\cite>

But where, unfortunately, we have yet to figure out how value people doing a great job on a crap project handed down from on high, against those spending half their time on Facebook while working on a mission critical project like employee benefit juggling.

"But it is always done respectfully, and it is not personal, it is a busuness decision and you should be happy that your sacrifice is still assisting such a great company where people are the most valued resource."

Someones been bingeing on the company Kool Aid......

Quit now and spare yourself the embarrassemnt of having to do the perp walk when they eliminate your position and escort you out the building.

But it is always done respectfully, and it is not personal, it is a busuness decision and you should be happy that your sacrifice is still assisting such a great company where people are the most valued resource.

"Lots of uncertainty working at Life not knowing what coming around the corner if it is sold."

Quit now and spare yourself the embarrassemnt of having to do the perp walk when they eliminate your position and escort you out the building.

Lots of uncertainty working at Life not knowing what coming around the corner if it is sold.

If you want a good laugh, you should go back and read some older posts. This site is a gold mine of hilarity....

However, found this interesting tidbit 21/1/2013:

Also, have to consider how these kinds of deals get done and how that affects stock price…Based on my limited experience in these matters, typical pattern is:
1. Pre-release of confidential info saying there has been takeover bid/company is up for sale; drives up stock price (just happened)
2. Things go quiet while negotiations continue; stock settles in a few points below high after leak (current period)
3. Party that suffered due to leak (i.e. the buyers now that price has risen 10%) leak info saying they are not so interested at that price; stock drops (soon to happen?)

Ok so what happens now? I think TMO makes offer to buy company and spin out NGS to a private equity firm with JR at helm (if they have any brains). Would be shocked if it is more than 25% premium from last trading session before stock gapped up due to takeover rumor, which would be ~$67.

Now for mantory mispelling to through HR off my cent...

MBA type reporting for duty. I'll use an analogy to help everyone understand what is going to happen.

Life Tech is like a closeted young gay boy from the midwest. Private equity is The Castro on a Friday night before a Pride parade. Life Tech is about to get stripped and passed around the neighborhood all night long, if you understand me. The only thing left of LT will be a bloody stump once the PE buzz saw is done.

If you heavied up on LT stock when it was in the shitter, you just got the break of a life time. If you have no stock or job options, welcome to the suck.

Anyone with evidence that this deal is not going to happen please speak up

Do any of you MBA types realize that all these "experts" from mad moron to motley know jack shit about life tech an its products? In fact they sound a lot like greggie poo and we all know how little he actually knows

Yes we all know the financial media knows nothing about LIFE but the fact remains .... and they have been spot on about this.... LIFE is in play i.e. about to be sold to:

A. KKR consortium, who will then load a lot of debt back on LIFE and sell the divisions / IP to the highest bidder.

OR

B. TMO who will assimilate all the divisions except Ion, it will be sold off to Roche or a company like that, probably facilitated by private equity.

A lot of folks will hit the street in either scenario and those left will wish they had been laid off because their jobs will suck more than they do now. The company line is that they are just looking to increase shareholder value so shut up and do your job. The sad fact is none of this needs to take place if the existing management was competent.

I think TMO ultimately ends up with LIFE

I think they will eventually end up with parts of LIFE, but as one of the butcher's customers, not the butcher.

Do any of you MBA types realize that all these "experts" from mad moron to motley know jack shit about life tech an its products? In fact they sound a lot like greggie poo and we all know how little he actually knows.

I think TMO ultimately ends up with LIFE, in case you missed this today Cramer's Mad Dash

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?play=1&video=3000153772

this stock is really going to double, you should really buy more... yeah, sequence your poo and keep eating your shit.

knock off the hr issue garbage. who cares who shared what info weeks ago. someone share info where we are going? stock taking off after hours. I want to know if we should buy more!

The big blonde from BUSINES EXCELLENCE. She is a piece of work. Came to our site. Big fool. Piece of work. Has to be leaked info our stock price high after hours. I don't like this at all if data is up and up. One of us should not have this data to injure us. A former Molecular Probes employee warned me about her. As a minority be careful when I was a contractor. She hates minorities and men with a history of discrimination issues.
Bad news data out early.

Head of business excellence a joke. I can see leaks coming from her. Reflects bad on MO he has such a pos working for him. She is indicative of the Life corp mangr that brings all attitudes down. I used to work under her and transferred out as soon as I could. Human resource wonders why quest score so low. She is poster child. Mean, clueless and very hostile to men. On top she can't keep her mouth shut Life corp merger secret. Makes me made we have someone like this still here, leaking informat and exec do nothing. What heck. Stop this crap! Affects our stitch this type leaking.

GL pls sell now. Need some mula to get some hula.

"A private equity firm is just a rebranded version of what were called LBO (leveraged buyout shops) in the 1980s, before they got a bad name. The classic transaction is to take over a company by contributing a small amount of equity and borrowing a lot of money"

"A takeover of Life, valued at $12.5 billion including debt, is a tall order, particularly for private-equity firms limited in how much cash they are willing to put into any one ...

Looks like this deal is eminent. LIFE is up almost $4.00 in after hours trading sharply to $65. Blood is in the water its going to be a feeding frenzy. No telling how many folks will get their walking papers when the "financial engineers" go to work."

I wouldnt give a plug nickel for that sweat shop. And I hope most of them do get their walking papers when/if its sold. Bunch of two faced SOB's.

KKR Considers Teaming to Bid for Life Technologies

Y RYAN DEZEMBER AND SHARON TERLEP

KKR & Co. is considering teaming with other private-equity firms to pursue biotech firm Life Technologies Corp., according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest sign that buyout shops are still willing to form "clubs" if they covet a large target.

Meanwhile, at least two strategic buyers, Danaher Corp. and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., are weighing bids for Carlsbad, Calif., based Life Technologies, according to other people.

A takeover of Life, valued at $12.5 billion including debt, is a tall order, particularly for private-equity firms limited in how much cash they are willing to put into any one ...

Looks like this deal is eminent. LIFE is up almost $4.00 in after hours trading sharply to $65. Blood is in the water its going to be a feeding frenzy. No telling how many folks will get their walking papers when the "financial engineers" go to work.

the utter shit you read on that analysis is mind bending... Life a drug company... what the f&?k..

Agreed.. The only thing propping this stock up is the fact that it will be sold to a bunch of cold blooded money whores who will then proceed to cut it up and sell the parts. Kind of like a corporate chop shop.

posted by Motley Fool.

++++The spread between free cash flow and earnings has been consistent and assuming this continues, then the company is even cheaper than its 12 P/E, given the value of the company should be based on its future cash flows. There are concerns related to U.S. budget cuts that may well constrain spending by Life Technologies's government and academic customers. However, the stock still appears to trade on the cheap side despite the run up in the stock's price. What's more is that Life has a product portfolio that consists of drugs and other products, with the revenue breakdown being 20% products and 80% consumables. This is a positive over the more drug-reliant biotech companies, giving the company greater revenue diversification and more stability in cash flows (read more above Life's industry prospects). I think Life could be one of the great ways to play the unique industry of genetics analysis. ++++

The utter shit you read on that analysis is mind bending... Life a drug company... what the f&?k...

"I m gonna whoop u!"

Please do, I love it rough.

Why are LT hiring so many new people in UK sales? About 5 jobs advertised in the last month. Very optimistic when funding is abysmal and scientific morale has gone out of the window!

I m gonna whoop u!

"Leave HV alone!"

No, to hell with her.