Recently in Shenanigans Category

Fifteen months ago, Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of the FTC, declared: "We believe Intel stepped well over the line of aggressive competition on the merits, and engaged in unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive conduct. The sum total of all this anti-competitive conduct unfairly prevented companies from competing, bolstered Intel's monopoly, and harmed consumers by stunting innovation, diminishing quality, and keeping prices higher than they would otherwise be."

In the Land of the Free is the system rigged against employees?

The notorious '2 & 20' fees of private equity companies have come under scrutiny by Yale University and the University of Maastricht in a study commissioned by the FT.

Intel's trial on anti-trust charges due to start in February has been halted by a US federal judge in Delaware while Intel lawyers prepare to argue for a summary dismissal of the case.

After six years as boss of  Sony, and the sacking of around 30,000 people, Sir Howard Stringer's legacy is still a forecast loss of $1.2bn for the financial year to the end of next March.

I don't think I've ever felt sorry for Qualcomm before but getting stiffed for $1 billion shouldn't happen to anyone.

The shenanigans in the HP boardroom make most TV soaps look pedestrian. Now, according to Bloomberg, the HP board is talking about sacking Leo Apotheker, the CEO it appointed in September 2010.

It's widely rumoured that Intel may delay the introduction of its 22nm finfet-based process because of a slowing down in the PC industry.

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency is planning to sue more than a dozen major banks for misrepresenting the quality of mortgages they sold during the housing bubble.

For a decade, the CEO's job at Zarlink, the old Mitel Semiconductor, has been a minuet with two players - Pat Brocket and Kirk Mandy. Mandy who announced his resignation yesterday.

If you want to cause trouble in the Old Folks Home you drop your dinner on the floor or switch the communal TV to Red Hot Dutch.

CSR takes over Zoran and says it is now a top ten fabless company.

That hoary old chestnut, a possible takeover of ARM, is up on the billboards again.

The 40 Years War between the makers of DRAM and the users of DRAM is a psychological battle of wits.

We are about to see a super-scam

With the M&A season upon us, it is worth remembering some sage advice from the  Price WaterhouseCoopers book Five Frogs on a Log for this on the perils of M&A.

With CEOs getting twitchy over their fat cash balances and bankers whispering the joys of M&A in their ears, the takeover trail is becoming a favourite trek for CEOs.

With over $50 billion already spent on high-tech M&A in the US this year, CEOs would be wise to follow the first rule for acquirers: Do it quickly.