Unless executive golden parachutes get trimmed does it really make a difference? The execs that doused the company in gasoline, struck the match and then walked away won't be around to try and operate on $3.75B instead of the original $4 billion after the acquisition is complete.
This is just Verizon exploiting some leverage to get a better price, it's not actual punishment of incompetent leadership.
If buyers were to talk the price down due to security sloppiness routinely, then it doesn't really matter why they do it: Shareholders looking for an eventual exit would have to factor their company's security practice into the their sale prospects whatever the reason.
Yep, this is what I expect. The pressure will be on prospective buyers to insist in a rigorous security audit and preparation for that audit will get worked into standard business plans.
I work for a huge telecom, and we take sucurity pretty seriously. Sometimes it seems like we've been doing nothing but security upgrades in the last seven or eight years.
This is just Verizon exploiting some leverage to get a better price, it's not actual punishment of incompetent leadership.