Page 13 of Nailing the Billionaire

Tall Guy changed the subject. “Did you see that latest from Gumpert? He thinks Cartwright is going to take down Vipersoft.”

I stopped chewing to listen to their conversation. I’d seen negative comments in the press from Carson Cartwright about our company, but hadn’t paid them much heed. If this guy could damage the company, I was all for it. He might even warrant reaching out to anonymously to provide data. I’d helped Hydra; why not another aligned interest?

Tall Guy switched topics again, and I went back to my questions after losing interest. Unfortunately they were loud. Harleys revving their engines on the street would be less distracting than the jabbering of those two.

I finished my lunch quickly, and back on the street, my phone chirped with a text.

RAMONA: I have to stay late can you pick up Billy pls pls pls

I moved to the building side of the sidewalk, stopped, and typed my reply.

ME: Sure

This would work out well, because I didn’t want to stay late today anyway.

* * *

The afternoon started slowlyas I trudged through my work and avoided the groups gathering to gossip about the afternoon’s all-hands department meeting.

I took the long way to the break room for some tea. Fisher and several others were huddled in a conference room going over something, and they were still at it two hours later when I went by again.

The sight of them still in there lightened my step on the way back to my cubicle. It evidently took a long time to figure out enough lies to explain away the misdeeds.

When the appointed time came, we assembled, and I took a position near the back. When I asked my questions, my voice would carry over the crowd, and everyone would hear. Last time, I’d been near the front, and I’d found out afterward that the people in the back couldn’t hear me.

It was a few minutes after three when Fisher stopped exchanging pleasantries with the people up front and the group quieted to hear him speak.

“I know it’s been a rollercoaster day for everyone, and I’ll be brief,” he said.

Rollercoaster, my ass. The market was already closed, and the stock had finished down twenty-two percent. Rollercoasters go up and down to end up back where they started. This had been a one-way trip down.

He cleared his throat. “I have a rather large announcement to make. The company has been exploring a reorganization transaction for some time.”

Murmurs began in the crowd.Reorganizationwas usually a codeword for layoffs—downsizingin corporate jargon.

The article’s effect had been even more than I’d anticipated if they were downsizing already to save the company.

“The management has decided that the best way to enhance shareholder value is to spin off the automotive brake division as a standalone business.”

A number of heads in front of me cocked to the side. They were as confused as I was.

A spin-off?

“This is going to be a very rapid transition. The production people will be moving, naturally, but this will also affect support departments such as ours.”

People looked at each other with questioning faces. Nobody had seen this coming, apparently.

If it had been on the company grapevine, Vanessa would have told me. She was as plugged in as anybody could be.

“As a result, several of us will be transferring with Bob to the new company.”

That brought a few gasps.

“Don’t worry, those of you who are moving on will be getting what I think are rather substantial stock-option packages for the inconvenience.”

With that, the mood of the group improved. Stock options were a favorite topic in finance. They weren’t worth anything in the short run, but could be quite valuable years in the future.

“As I said, this will be a rapid transaction. The people going with new organization will be…”

---