Sun stands by its man

After taking a beating in the stock market Monday following the reported collapse of a merger deal with IBM, Sun Microsystems stood by its leadership team.
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Reuters reported that Sun declined to confirm the breakdown in negotiations, but did say "Sun is committed to its leadership team, growth strategy and building value for its shareholders." Speculation had been building that CEO Jonathan Schwartz was in trouble after The Wall Street Journal reported that Chairman Scott McNealy had quashed a possible deal with IBM over Schwartz's objections.

IBM and Sun had been talking for several weeks about a merger, according to reports, but talks broke down Sunday over the price to be paid for one of Silicon Valley's most iconic companies. Sun has struggled in recent years to translate its success during the last decade to the current period.

Sun's stock finished down more than 22 percent to close at $6.56 Monday, after rejecting IBM's last reported offer of $9.40 for the company's shares.

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BY Tom Krazit
Source：cnet

Tom Krazit, a staff writer for CNET News, writes about the evolution of personal computing with a special focus on Apple and the smartphone revolution. He has covered traditional PC companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, chip companies such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and mobile computers ranging from Research In Motion's to Palm's. E-mail Tom.

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