On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 7:47 PM, Marcel Rieux <m.z.rieux@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I was thinking about this today. What a good joke!"Being privately held, Canonical is pretty secretive about the size of its business. Shuttleworth said when Silber was appointed last December that the company was not yet profitable but heading in the right direction with growth in its three key product lines. (He added that he expected to spend seven years building an open source platform and that the company still has nearly two more years to make it under the wire). But judging by its employee headcount, Canonical is growing like crazy.
Yes, Canonical/Ubuntu (CU) might break even in two years, but when will it become profitable?
The most probable answer to this question is: NEVER, even after Shuttleworth's death, even if he was to live to be 100 years old! The reason is that whatever will show up as profit, will be reinvested and cross the line as expense.
Why the hell should it be otherwise? Shuttleworth has more than enough money to live another 10 lives, why would he need more money? Mainly that, within 10 years, we'll certainly be facing another crash that will be more important than the precedent. In such a context, what will money be worth compared to a company that offers essential services at a decent price? And what a saving on income taxes, even if they're low on Isle of Man!
So, there will be no xEOs trying all kind of dirty tricks to make more profits so that share value goes up and they can cash in more on their stock options. No money made on the exploitation on low wages personnel from developing countries. Everybody will receive a fair salary and personnel qualification will be optimal.
No stock owners brawls asking for more dividends. No stock options diluting the value of their shares.
One goal in sight: growth!
Did I say "shrewd"?
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