The previous poster is incorrect. Coverage for my family continues till the end of the month. LIFE is a business. Layoffs are parts of every business or organization. So for those who were unfortunately released, just deal with it and move on.

I am currently unemployed and struggling to find work. I will tell you that it is no fun with bills piling up and the possibility of losing your home are becoming real. Not to mention the devastating effect on your mind and confident. I would rather not be employed instead. I hope the folks at Costco would give me a chance to become an associate.

LIFE is not a bad company to work at, but the frequent layoffs are driven morale to the ground.

If you get laid off by LTC and they offer to continue your health coverage for some period of time, go to the doctor immediately, and will find that your coverage was CANCELLED on the day of your layoff. LTC is cancelling coverage in the hope that you will not try to use it during the period of continuing coverage, which means they get to keep the money but still claim the "cost" as a business expense at corporate tax time.

That is illegal if true. Not sure thay wold fall into that mire though.

If you get laid off by LTC and they offer to continue your health coverage for some period of time, go to the doctor immediately, and will find that your coverage was CANCELLED on the day of your layoff. LTC is cancelling coverage in the hope that you will not try to use it during the period of continuing coverage, which means they get to keep the money but still claim the "cost" as a business expense at corporate tax time.

Not even close. Unemployment beats being ordered around by clueless, self-serving liars any day of the week!

"No, I was at their main headquarters. What they had me doing I thought was really important for the company, but I guess they couldn't meet their numbers so they have to find someone to blame. I liked working there and learned a lot in a short amount of time but I am thinking if it is a good idea to go back for more temp bullshit. How is it even legal? You shouldn't be able to advertise 6 mother to hire but not follow through once the 6 months is up."

There is nothing illegal about it. When I worked there, they never guaranteed to hire me on permenantly, I worked through a temp agency that contracted for Life Tech so they for the most part were not responsible for me, the temp agency handled scheduling, days off etc. A real hell hole I'm glad I didnt except Life Techs offer to stay on.

No, I was at their main headquarters. What they had me doing I thought was really important for the company, but I guess they couldn't meet their numbers so they have to find someone to blame. I liked working there and learned a lot in a short amount of time but I am thinking if it is a good idea to go back for more temp bullshit. How is it even legal? You shouldn't be able to advertise 6 mother to hire but not follow through once the 6 months is up.

"I was a contractor at LT for a year. On the job description it said 6 month to hire. I thought that they might hire me after the 6 month was up. From what I was told yeah liked me. I was also told by my manager that I was one of the best new hires they have had. When my contact ended they said they couldn't keep me on because of there company policy on how long a contractor could work there. A week before me leaving I was told that a project I worked on got management thinking about new opportunities in t********. On my last day found out that their communication between employees is not good. They have a bad policy when it comes to contractors. The CEO of Yahoo just said in an interview that she believes that technology companies live or die by talent. I worked hard there and did what they wanted on time. If they keep their bad company policy this company will have a hard time finding good people. Come on now."

In order to be hired on from temp to permanent employment there you have to brownnose,backstab, and basically alienate every other co worker. I assume you worked at the Frederick,MD distribution center? The management,employees,and the human resources dept. there have got to be the worst to work with. They are all pond scum.Consider yourself lucky they didnt hire you on.

"Has he actually issued a press release stating that the board has decided not to sell? If so, did it not have one of those "forward looking statements" attached to it? And if it was just an internal announcement to employees, is there anyone at LIFE left that actually believes a word that comes out of his mouth?"

I work at the Frederick,Maryland site. I dont trust GL or any supervisors/dept. directors as far as I can throw them.Nothing but white trash in Mercedes Benzes.

GL said today LIFE will not be selling. Company will continue as is

If that is the case why is the stock not falling, in fact it's going up a little? Markets usually react fast to news like this.

Has he actually issued a press release stating that the board has decided not to sell? If so, did it not have one of those "forward looking statements" attached to it? And if it was just an internal announcement to employees, is there anyone at LIFE left that actually believes a word that comes out of his mouth?

I was a contractor at LT for a year. On the job description it said 6 month to hire. I thought that they might hire me after the 6 month was up. From what I was told yeah liked me. I was also told by my manager that I was one of the best new hires they have had. When my contact ended they said they couldn't keep me on because of there company policy on how long a contractor could work there. A week before me leaving I was told that a project I worked on got management thinking about new opportunities in t********. On my last day found out that their communication between employees is not good. They have a bad policy when it comes to contractors. The CEO of Yahoo just said in an interview that she believes that technology companies live or die by talent. I worked hard there and did what they wanted on time. If they keep their bad company policy this company will have a hard time finding good people. Come on now.

GL said today LIFE will not be selling. Company will continue as is

If that is the case why is the stock not falling, in fact it's going up a little? Markets usually react fast to news like this.

That means more small scale layoffs continue. Instead of one large one. 20-30% RIF.

GL said today LIFE will not be selling. Company will continue as is.

I can confirm to you, after Q1 we will be sold. The biggest issue to the leadership is they cannot meet their Q1 AOT before the selling. They're trying every flexible and fraudulent way to get the number.

"I got 2 weeks, after tax and everything else amounted to 2300 dollars. Thanks GL"

Or as GL refers to it as coffee money.

"GL deserves every penny, he has lead us to the promised land."

I'm assuming your satisfied with your new knee pads?

"Life is the worst place to work at but still better than unemployment"

Which is why 97% of the work force should be job hunting right now. There are very few employees who, if they are honest with themselves, should feel secure about surviving a 20-30% RIF.

Life is the worst place to work at but still better than unemployment

I'm a successful sales manager, but now the only thing can hold me back from leaving is we are acquired by someone else. The situation is too bad.

Well that, snd your written word.

"I hope our company can be bought as soon as possible. We are a very poor company now, lots of budget have been cut, talents want to leave, and there're still many impotent high leaders but with a high salary, including GL."

I'm a successful sales manager, but now the only thing can hold me back from leaving is we are acquired by someone else. The situation is too bad.

"lots of budget have been cut, talents want to leave". talents were laid off for the last few years. No life left at LIFE.

This deal will get done now because interest rates are at an all time low and both companies can get all levered up on the cheap.

On top of that, the stock price is above USD 62 for more than a few weeks without any confirmed valid reason. No one EXCEPT the acquirer would keep buying the stock. I don't know what would happen to the Singapore site, that mainly focuses on PCR, including qPCR business, that overlaps with that of Roche and TMO.

I hope our company can be bought as soon as possible. We are a very poor company now, lots of budget have been cut, talents want to leave, and there're still many impotent high leaders but with a high salary, including GL.

This deal will get done now because interest rates are at an all time low and both companies can get all levered up on the cheap.

The article also states that if this deal does not go through that LIFE will spend / waste money on issuing a special dividend or stock buyback. This is done to appease the disgruntled shareholders as they watch their shares try to go back to 39. So there you have it. GL does this deal with TMO and makes a cool half billion for himself or no deal and has to chear up outraged shareholders with money from the company bank account. What do you think will happen?

Which option, TMO with NGS going to Roche or Bain / Blackrock etc, would keep the most LT people employed?

GL deserves every penny, he has lead us to the promised land.

Sources close to Thermo Fisher have indicated that the company is uninterested in Life's sequencing business, which is the source of much of Life's future expected growth. Given that Life's board of directors and investors may hold out for over $70 per share, Thermo Fisher's investors may not approve of a deal over $10 billion for a company with a lower growth profile than that of Thermo Fisher when the sequencing business is excluded (that being said, a divestiture of the sequencing business could help defray some of the cost needed to take control of Life). Bondholders of Thermo Fisher may also voice objections. In addition to the increased leverage that Thermo Fisher will likely need to acquire Life, there is also Life's own balance sheet to contend with. The company currently holds $276.369 million in cash and investments, versus debt of $2.414069 billion. In addition, based on the company's Q3 2012 10Q (a full balance sheet for Q4 2012 has not yet been released), 51.93% of Life Technologies' assets are in the form of goodwill. Should Thermo Fisher take control of Life, goodwill will be piled on top of goodwill, and the company will likely add billions of debt to its balance sheet, further weakening its credit profile. And while Thermo Fisher would also gain control of Life Technologies' solid cash flows, it's likely that any incremental increase in cash flow will be used to pay down debt as opposed to increasing the dividend or buying back stock. Thermo Fisher's management team may have to work hard to convince investors of the rationale behind a deal for Life Technologies, something that could very well cause the company to walk away from the negotiating table. While other potential suitors have been named, such as GE (GE) and Danaher (DHR), Thermo Fisher has emerged as the most likely acquirer, and analysts are skeptical that either GE or Danaher will be tempted to make a bid for Life.

Reuters has reported that multiple private equity firms, including KKR, Blackstone, Bain Capital and TPG are weighing bids for Life Technologies. A private equity of Life Technologies would represent the largest healthcare leveraged buyout since the end of the financial crisis, with Credit Suisse estimating that at least $7 billion of equity would be needed to take control of the company. A leveraged buyout of Life Technologies is further complicated by price. Rumors of a deal have sent shares of Life to their highest levels since the creation of the company. However, given the leverage that will be added to Life's balance sheet, as well as the leverage already on it, it's likely that private equity firms cannot afford to pay as much as a strategic buyer. Jefferies, for example, has said that a leveraged buyout can occur at a price of between $50-$60 per share, which is already below the company's current share price. JPMorgan has said that a buyout could occur at between $65-$75 per share; the midpoint of this range implies a premium of 11.34% to current prices. However, it's unclear if $70 per share would be enough to sway Life's investors. Since the beginning of 2010, and until buyout rumors surfaced, shares of Life had been mostly range-bound, and its investors may want to see a more substantial premium, one that a private equity firm (or consortium of firms) is unable to provide. However, a divestiture of the company's sequencing business could make a transaction more likely. Private equity buyers are primarily interested in the high degree of recurring revenue at Life, and the cash flows that it provides, not the company's future growth potential. Given the interest in genetic sequencing, it may be easier to find a buyer for this business if it is offered without the rest of Life.

Life's most current proxy statement discloses that CEO Greg Lucier stands to earn $43,794,422 in severance payments if he is terminated following a change of control. And even if he is terminated with cause following a change of control, he still stands to earn over $12 million in severance, which gives him incentive not to oppose a deal. While the company's board of directors will make the final decision on any sale, they'll seek input from Greg Lucier, who is also the board's chairman. And given the millions he stands to earn from termination following a change of control, it's likely that he will, at a minimum, not oppose a deal. It should be noted that this provision favors a strategic acquirer. Private equity firms are likely to leave Lucier in the corner office. However, a strategic buyer, such as Thermo Fisher, is far less likely to leave Lucier in charge. And given that Mark Casper, Thermo Fisher's own CEO, is 43, there's no reason for him to do this deal to bring in a successor, especially given the fact that Greg Lucier is 47. Lucier will likely be terminated if Thermo Fisher takes control of Life (at most, Lucier could move to a new division at Thermo Fisher that would house Life). Lucier's compensation package isn't going to be the key factor that leads to a takeover, but it's a facet worth noting, as it gives the CEO a solid reason to support a deal.

Life's Standalone Prospects

The question that investors need to ponder at this point in time is whether or not it is wise to buy shares of Life Technologies at these levels. I believe that Life's standalone prospects are good in the long-term, not because of its sequencing business, but rather because of its valuation.

There is a reason that Illumina has been able to not only retain, but expand its lead in sequencing. It is focused solely on sequencing (and ancillary genetics businesses), whereas Life focuses on a far wider variety of markets. Combined with a lack of meaningful research and development spending, it's unsurprising to see that Illumina leads the sequencing market. In 2012, Illumina spent 20.12% of its revenues on research and development, while Life spent just 9%. And that 9% was split amongst many more divisions and product lines. Life's saving grace lies in its valuation. At current prices, Life trades at 15.94x trailing 12-month earnings, versus 31.3x for Illumina (not to say that Illumina is overpriced - its growth prospects and industry-leading margins and balance sheet warrant a premium valuation). The table below breaks down Life's consensus forecasts and its forward valuation (P/E multiples are based on Life's closing price of $63.44 as of February 13).

I got 2 weeks, after tax and everything else amounted to 2300 dollars. Thanks GL

Don't you wish you had terms like these when LIFE lets you go after being sold?

Taken from a Seeking Alpha webpage on possibility of LIFE being sold:

Life's most current proxy statement discloses that CEO Greg Lucier stands to earn $43,794,422 in severance payments if he is terminated following a change of control. And even if he is terminated with cause following a change of control, he still stands to earn over $12 million in severance, which gives him incentive not to oppose a deal.

What business school did GL go to again? Was it Ben Dover and Ream'em U? Let the CEO and BOD know how you really feel about this!

"Any information is appreciated just no crap"

Wrong site to be asking buddy, little else but here.

Kind of quiet today... is this deal going to get done or what?? Yesterday LIFE was going up today its just grinding around. Any information is appreciated just no crap.

You are full of it.

There will be an announcement tomorrow, saying that Lucifer does not need to work. The gossip of MO told me me.

Just now got home to find that SEC filings filed today for many life's largest shareholders. Just happened, sale going forward.

If you look over LIFE's 2012 SEC filings, you see the same documents being filed back in Feb'12. I think they are annual summary of holdings for "benefical ownership" positions (i.e. institutions/individual holding >5% of company). So don't freak out...they look to be annual filings.

Black Rock, Vanguard, PrimeCap, Glenview Capital Mgmt

http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html

Its on the Life Technologies investor relations site

What website are you using for the SEC filings? Thanks.

I see that too, thanks. Any idea who we are being sold to, makes a big difference.

Just now got home to find that SEC filings filed today for many life's largest shareholders. Just happened, sale going forward.

LIFE 2/14/2013
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64.50 |
64.00 |
63.50 |
63.00 |
62.50|
10a 11a 12p 1p 2p 3p

Talk about a bullish chart pattern... when's it going to stop?

Ditto ditto ditto

All of you money changers suck ... there are peoples livelihoods in the balance

I would sell every bit of LT for now 64.26.

You people sucks

I have full faith in Lucifer and the greedy bastards that infest the board to sell LT down the road for a fraction of what it is worth.

Yeah, but at current stock price, the fraction is something like 64/23.

Dumb asses