Today I have the unfortunate task of announcing that the acquisition of Livingston Communications will not be taking place as planned.
The next question, is, of course - why? Frankly, it's cultural. We dotted our i's, crossed our t's and started working together as a team while the lawyers finished up the paperwork. It was during this time that Geoff and I both realized that, while similar, our organizations and management styles were very different, and that integration would not be in the best interests of both firms. I have the utmost respect of Geoff and his team, which is why it was so important for us to make this tough decision now rather than later, when the stakes would be so much higher.
There was a lot of excitement around news of the prospective merger, and there will likely be a lot more around the fact that it isn't happening. We could have quietly avoided the fallout of the decision not to proceed with the partnership and ridden the early publicity, but we both figure it's better to do the right thing for our businesses, be transparent about it, and move on.
To everyone who lauded the evolution of the industry and joined us in our exuberance, thank you so much for your support, and we're sorry to disappoint. However, our decision not to proceed is in no way a reflection on the health or viability of social media as an industry - it's simply about doing the right thing for everyone involved, and being honest about it.
Geoff has also put up a vlog post about today's announcement, you can check it out here.
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