[kwlug-disc] Orion Electronics

Mon Jul 16 12:17:48 EDT 2018

That's a sad story, but not uncommon, regrettably.

I suppose now is a time to mention that another local company is actually
doing very well: Opentext.  We are just coming off of a great year and I
can tell you that the employee stock options program is great.  The best
I've ever seen, in fact.  And we're always hiring (shameless self-plug
here)...  Have a look at  https://opentextats.avature.net/careers/SearchJobs
and if any of the members of KWLUG see something they like, let me know and
I'll refer you in.  (yes, they also have a great referral program)...

On 16 July 2018 at 11:57, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:

> A friend of mine got a job early at RIM, before they even made phones.
>
> He had a lot of stock options. When his options vested, his financial
> advisor
> told him he should sell his options, and pay the house and other debts
> (standard
> advice really). He sold them very cheap, at a profit, but still at a
> very low price.
>
> The employees that came in after him had options too, but they
> have not vested when he was selling his.
>
> When the stock shot sky high, he had no options to sell anymore. Those who
> came
> in after him were millionaires and never had to work again. He who heeded
> the
> standard advice ended up with nothing more than paying his house a few
> years
> early.
>
> He was eventually laid off.
>
> Such is the lottery of stock options ... and right place right time.
>
> On Mon, Jul 16, 2018 at 11:49 AM, CrankyOldBugger
> <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Well, the story of RIM is legendary, but here's the truth:  when I worked
> > there in support, stock prices were $160.  Then I left to take another
> job,
> > and the stock price shot through the floor to unheard-of lows.
> Coincidence?
> > We may never know...
> >
> >
> > On 16 July 2018 at 11:39, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Business, local or not, deserve criticism when they have practices that
> >> warrant
> >> it. Being local does not give a business immunity from criticism just
> >> because they
> >> are local, or there is a lot of nostalgia for them.
> >>
> >> The big example is RIM/Blackberry: they had a large majority of the
> smart
> >> phone market, but became overconfident, arrogant, complacent and
> oblivious
> >> to market changes. They saw Apple in 2007 introduce a new paradigm (no
> >> physical keyboard, interaction by touch only, short battery life) and
> saw
> >> all
> >> that as a fad that is going to fail. They missed the App Store concept.
> >> Then
> >> a year later Android was released by Google with similar concepts (App
> >> Store,
> >> many free apps, free SDK) and still talked themselves into : businesses
> >> will
> >> never stop using our BlackBerry, we are the most secure, ...etc.
> >>
> >> At that time, they were so popular, kids would send their BB ID to
> message
> >> each other. Governments around the world (including the US Congress)
> were
> >> dependent on them.
> >>
> >> Mike Lazarides was so focused on the hand sets, he bought an Apple
> iPhone
> >> when it first came out and dismantled: he always thought users would
> want
> >> physical keyboards and a battery life of several days. He missed the
> >> ecosystem
> >> part.
> >>
> >> I had friends who jumped from whatever company they were in to RIM at
> the
> >> height of their dominance, only to be laid off or jump back after their
> >> demise.
> >>
> >> Where are they today? Last I checked they had 0.4% market share, and
> that
> >> was a couple of years ago.
> >>
> >> A reporter wrote an article, and later a book, on how this once dominant
> >> company declined in the span of less than 5 years.
> >>
> >>
> >> https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-
> inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/
> >>
> >> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 5:57 PM, Chamunks <chamunks at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > I'm all for trashing local business if they're taking you for a
> ride.  I
> >> > have fond memories of being a youngin working on PCB kits with my Dad
> in
> >> > grade 3/4[ish?] making little alarm things etc that we got from Orion.
> >> > Also
> >> > my first TV was purchased with a Toonie I had available in my change
> jar
> >> > down the street it was a black and white little tv on a swivel stand
> and
> >> > it
> >> > only had a dial for 13 channels.  We bought a coaxial to RF adapter
> and
> >> > a TV
> >> > channel box thing so I could watch cable on it eventually.  I think my
> >> > dad
> >> > thought it was absurd so he eventually bought me a 20"(ish) color tube
> >> > TV so
> >> > I could play my Nintendo in my room in color :P I bought the little
> >> > black n
> >> > white so I didn't have to share my consoles with my sisters, very
> >> > different
> >> > times.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> kwlug-disc mailing list
> >> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
> >> http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Khalid M. Baheyeldin
> 2bits.com, Inc.
> Fast Reliable Drupal
> Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
> Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. -- Edsger W.Dijkstra
> Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. -- anonymous
>
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