Seeking Alpha's Micron earnings call transcript has few words about Aptina's next stage in life:
Daniel Amir - Lazard Capital Markets:
Just a question on the image sensor business. Can you comment a bit on the visibility there, what you’re seeing there in terms of growth for the next couple of quarter, if at all? And kind of what the strategy is now for the segment?
Steven R. Appleton, CEO:
I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of growth. I think it looks pretty stable. I would say not a lot of growth, not a lot of decline. There are some incremental improvements that we’re making. If you would have noticed, for image sensor companies, they’ve made somewhat of a comeback and I think have gained some market share in the last quarter or two.
But, hey, look, I think that business, a lot of it is in the mobile stage and the technology stage, if you will, around PDAs and digital cameras and PC cams, etc. so I think we have some similar challenges to what other segments do, but it still looks like they’re on a pretty good path.
In terms of what we’re intending to do in that space, there hasn’t been any change of plans with respect to what’s happening with that Aptina. In fact, on this Friday they will start operating as a separate company from Micron, although it will be a wholly-owned subsidiary they will have their own systems and so forth, and we’re still moving down the path as journey with a partner to likely take that company and try to work, but yet have Micron continued to manufacture the product, at least in the foreseeable future.
How can Mr. Brathwaite serve both as Aptina's CEO as well as a member of Tessera's Board of Directors?
ReplyDeleteNot only Tessera. Nic also sits on boards of Insilica, Power Integrations, Photon Dynamics, Teak Technologies and Hughes Software Systems. But what is your concern? Nic's ability to share his time between all these boards and CEO duties or conflict of interests of some sort?
ReplyDeleteAppleton said "operating as a separate company" and not "INDEPENDENT". There is a huge difference between those two things. You can be sure Aptina will still take marching orders from their 100% owner, Micron. They will still fab at Micron. They just get to have their own systems, like accounting, HR, etc.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Photobit Technology Corp operated totally separately from Photobit Corp, but I would have hardly called it INDEPENDENT.
Big difference!
-EF
I see numerous conflicts of interests. Consider about WL technology? Should Aptina develop their own or license? If to license then from whom?
ReplyDeleteWell, I believe one can find conflicts like that on almost any company board. It's almost unavoidable in our small world.
ReplyDelete