Linden Research just sold itself to an investment firm

[Lexxi]

| Linden Lab

2020-07-09 00:00:00 UTC



New Growth & Expansion Opportunities on the Horizon for Second Life and Tilia

SAN FRANCISCO, July 9, 2020 — Linden Research, Inc. announced today it signed an agreement to be acquired by an investment group led by Randy Waterfield and Brad Oberwager. Closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval by financial regulators in the U.S. related to Tilia Inc.’s status as a licensed money transmitter as well as other customary closing conditions. Upon closing, Mr. Waterfield and Mr. Oberwager will join the Board of Directors of Linden Research, Inc.

 

[Govi]

 

[Essence Lumin]

Not really any info that isn't above but here's another link from NWN.

Linden Lab Acquired by Investors After Months of Rumors, Layoffs & Sansar's Sale; Second Life to Still Expand, Official Announcement Promises

 

[Beebo Brink]

 

[Cristalle]

What's the over/under on the timeline? Let's see how long it takes for the investor to load LL up with debt, extract the profits, and then shut SL down. FFS.

 

[Andi]

I'm going to look at this as exciting for now.

 

[Khamon]

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

This makes me worried.... it might be good, but I just have a bad feeling.

 

[Free]

This makes me worried.... it might be good, but I just have a bad feeling.

 

[Caete]

Well it appears their bit in common is both are board members of Asure Software which seems to specialize in "workforce management software solutions and services".
Brad is listed as Independent director and John is a director. Not seeing them having anything else besides Young Presidents Oranization openly shared.

John seems to have lucked his way through board positions by nepotism (my opinion) as 7 of the 15 boards he is/was on are some offshoot of Waterfield.
Bio - J. Randall Waterfield

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Nervous

 

[Sid]

Shit could have hit the fan or it might be the best thing ever for SL.
We only can wait and see.

 

[Essence Lumin]

They can't be buying it to sell off the assets since there aren't any assets worth anything if there is no SL.

 

[Sid]

They can't be buying it to sell off the assets since there aren't any assets worth anything if there is no SL.

Before you buy a company, you make a few in depth analyses first and then weigh the pluses and the minuses.
What they saw as pluses, who knows?
But they found pluses, otherwise those investors are fools to invest.
It hardly can be the 17 year old software code in the heart and dungeons of SL.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Before you buy a company, you make a few in depth analyses first and then weigh the pluses and the minuses.
What they saw as pluses, who knows?
But they found pluses, otherwise those investors are fools to invest.
It hardly can be the 17 year old software code in the heart and dungeons of SL.

Of course. Just saying that unlike some companies that buy other companies just to sell off the assets, they must have some plans to keep it going.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

For me on the plus side is that Philip Rosedale knows the guy of the investment company for 14 years now. On the bad side it is an investment company.

 

[Sid]

For me on the plus side is that Philip Rosedale knows the guy of the investment company for 14 years now. On the bad side it is an investment company.

I don't see Rosedale on the back burner of this deal perse as good news.
He is a dreamer who stumbled over the success of SL. His Tao of Linden believes are disastrous and still hamper the development of SL, years after he officially left.

 

[Sid]

Of course. Just saying that unlike some companies that buy other companies just to sell off the assets, they must have some plans to keep it going.

As bystanders we simply don't know anything about the (hidden) agendas of the new investors, but most people who invest, do this to make more money than they put in to it. So where is the good news?
I can't see them being after the partly 17 years old code used in the dungeons of SL, that is for sure.

The still huge user base has potential, as long as they bring in more then it costs to run the show. But if that is the case and will be the case in the (near) future, why would the Lab sell itself?

The answer could be to attract more money for a quicker and better development of SL.
But why would the creative and coding people all of a sudden succeed, while they just proved (again) to be pretty clueless about the development or potential of Sansar.
What makes it different now?
I would not be impressed when I had a sack full of millions at hand to invest.

So most likely the new investors have IMHO one or more hidden aces up their sleeves, that makes the investment worth it.

 

[Wesleytron]

What makes it different now?

Over in the official forum some are of the view Tilia Pay could be that potential asset this investment company have got their eyes on.

 

[eku zhong]

They can't be buying it to sell off the assets since there aren't any assets worth anything if there is no SL.

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