Milestone Systems Admits IPO Plan Lie

Just typical corporate speak...Axis announced at their Kick Off event just 2 weeks before the Canon announcement that they were Definitely NOT for sale...

Corp.management believes this type of talk will keep employees and customers from bolting.

Although I am not condoning lying, it may be slightly more complicated than you portray, for a couple of reasons.

1) prior to the 'lie' there were numerous reports of an IPO in the works, apparently leaked one way or another, by someone with knowledge.

2) the 'lie' was an effort to discredit this leak, because of the perceived negative impact to the process itself.

Still a lie but not simply a gratuitous one.

'No comment' is not much of an option here. Because it is similar to the case where a court room defendant, trying to avoid perjury, is asked the following:

• Did you kill your husband in Dallas? Heavans no, I've never even been there!
• Then maybe in Memphis? Absolutely not!
• But what about Los Angeles? I would like to take the 5th.

Point being that when you have truthfully denied an IPO several times in the past, to change your answer suddenly to "No comment" is as good as a confirmation.

Furthermore, as brutal as it might sound, as CEO his loyalty is to the shareholders first. I think that most people understand this is the way it works sometimes, and are unlikely to condemn him for it.

As for your main point about trusting him that Milestone will remain independent, I think that you should believe it as far as it makes sense, but no further.

And in this case he is not even the one who is making the decision...

Its just business, not deception..

I think John is being a bit harsh here, opinions such as this do not help the industry, I wouldnt mind reading a more positive spin on things like this, it often seems negative/bashing for the sake of creating an article to spurring a thread or reaction in comments (which may be done just to increase search rankings etc)

I have to agree with you here John. Its too common today to dismiss deception, little white lies that only walk a grey line, that kind of thing.

You are either truthful or you are not. Milestone could have done the right thing and said nothing about it (no comment, etc) - rather they chose to mislead - and that eats away at a company, or person's credibility.

But then again, that really depends on what your meaning of the word 'is' is. Right?

Just because little lies are "acceptable" to some, it doesn't mean it's right.