The China Factor: Bain-3Com Deal Withdrawn

I reported on Bain’s proposed acquisition of 3Com when it was announced in late September. The deal has been withdrawn due to objections from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). 3Com’s Tipping Point business unit supplies sensitive monitoring equipment to the US Government’s Defense Department.

Eric Benhamou: The Saga Of Palm (Part 14)

SM: This has been a very interesting discussion. Anything else you would like to add before we conclude, especially about your personal situation at present? EB: On a personal level, things have worked out pretty well in the sense that I believe in ten year cycles – at least for me. I think, you can

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Online Video Beneficiaries: Synthesis

Online Video is a clear growth market, and many parts of the ecosystem are benefiting as a result. I have done a series called Online Video Beneficiaries, which you can catch up on here: * Online Video Beneficiaries: Introduction * Online Video Beneficiaries: Polycom * Online Video Beneficiaries: Cisco * Online Video Beneficiaries: 3Com?

3Com Is Now REALLY Going After Cisco

I just got off the phone with Eric Benhamou, with whom, as you know, I have been discussing 3Com and Palm recently. I said earlier, that 3Com is trying to take on Cisco with its Chinese JV H3C in my Online Video Beneficiaries series, and that Cisco is a fat company that deserves to be

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Eric Benhamou: The Saga Of Palm (Part 2)

With an unstable market, Eric knew the price of Palm was not going to sustain at those highs. But what exactly happened when the market crashed? SM: It is hard to sustain that kind of price range … EB: We knew the price had to come down, but we did not exactly know how it

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Eric Benhamou: The Saga Of Palm (Part 1)

In this second interview series with Eric Benhamou, we discuss his involvement with Palm. If you haven’t already, do read the first interview series for context [here]. As you know, Palm is in the midst of a great deal of change at the moment. However, it is an important company that established the PDA category,

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Eric Benhamou & the Turnaround of 3Com (Part 18)

To conclude an extremely interesting interview, here is a final, reflective segment with Eric. We will continue the story of Palm separately, later in September, once Palm’s shareholder vote for the Elevation Partners deal is completed. SM: You have watched what happened since then. What lost 3Com the position you were in at the end

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Eric Benhamou & the Turnaround of 3Com (Part 17)

SM: Whom did you sell the high end product line to? EB: We sold it to Extreme. We put Extreme in business. It was a bad decision because the analysis was wrong. It was taken in an overheated period, by an over impatient board who were comparing ourselves with companies whose growth rate was inflated

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