ATI Goes South (of the Border)
July 24th, 2006 | by MadHacktress |AMD announces $5.4B bid for Canada’s ATI
AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) announced today that it would purchase ATI Technologies Inc. (Array Technologies Incorporated Technologies Inc. - go figure that one) in a cash-and-share friendly buyout. From the sounds of the reports coming from both sides it sounds very much like a merging of minds and a very positive experience had by all.
And, yet another Canadian company becomes American-owned.
I hate to sound anti-American, though I do almost every day, but at the same time, it’s hard for me to be happy about things like this taking place. ATI is one of Canada’s best examples of technology-sector success; and now it will be a shining example of Sunnyvale, California success.
Good for ATI, I guess, in getting the attention of the worlds second largest chip manufacturer and, even, making them want to buy up the company. It’s just too bad that ATI’s gain is a national loss for Canada. And yes, I do see it as a loss.
No matter whether the jobs stay here, or even if more jobs are brought here, the end result is the same: the company becomes American-based and the vast majority of the economic benefit ends up in American coffers.
In my mind it’s not even about the money in the end but rather it is more a matter of the principle of the thing. There are fewer and fewer Canadian companies on the world stage, and those that do make it there seem only to be doing so in order to get themselves plucked up by even larger, non-Canadian corporates.
I am a small town thinker; probably because I grew up in a small town; I have small town values. I believe that, when you have the option, you support your fellows in whatever way possible. That is one of the traits that my Dad instilled in me; it is something that he lives by.
As an aside. I worked for Nikon Inc. for three years and, at one point during that time, my Dad bought a scope for one of his rifles; I don’t remember the brand that he bought. A week or two after the purchase he was thumbing through an Out of Doors magazine and came upon an advert for Nikon scopes; he felt awful. He still remarks on it from time to time. He didn’t know that Nikon made scopes else he would have bought one, “to support your bread and butter” as he put it.
That’s the way I think of it. Purchasing from a Canadian company supports the bread and butter of the nation. I won’t shop at Home Depot if I can buy what I’m looking for at Rona. I personally think it’s great that book stores in Canada have to be Canadian-owned.
I haven’t ever owned anything other than an ATI video card; and before now I wouldn’t consider owning anything else.
Entry Filed under: In The News, Pure Opinion
I’m not really happy about that either. This kind of consolidation does not (in my opinion) help the industry and it doesn’t help Canada.
I liked having some technology powerhouses in Canada, and now there’s one less.
I’ve never forgiven AMD for dropping its Programmable Array Logic line either.
ATI’s great for cards; I’ve only owned two video cards and they were both ATI.