One trick pony

gonna buy pacb

what's going on at ILMN?

Competing with their customers

What in the world are these guy doing getting into diagnostic services?

its approaching its true level just now (far overvalued before, for what the technology truly offers)

Is the stock price going to recover, or tank further?

Purchase Helixis in June 2010: $100 million
Purchase Epicentre in March 2011: $90 million
Layoff 200 employees in October 2011: $15 million (in "savings")
See its stock tank by 50% in 2011: priceless

Well if it's like most other places the list was made by upper-middle level cowardly lackies interested only in protecting themselves - surprisingly they rarely even protect their own fiefdom, which seems like it ought to be fundamental to their value to an organization, but in orgs with uniformly slimeball character a fervent willingness to be a hatchetman betokens exceptional value to the muckety mucks all by itself.

Now a uniform property of these cowardly butchers is that they don't understand the company's sytems well enough to recognize who is a truly effective contributor and who isn't so the layoffs may indeed seem irrational. Two things are always true however, one is that if someone does seem to know what they are talking about they are a threat to the slime that has floated to the top, and the other is that people in general tend to recognize and promote people like them so guess who gets saved. "Affy" is indeed an outstanding example of just this history. Life of course is the premier example.

It appears to be fairly evenly distributed carnage, with pretty much all areas affected. The biggest surprise is the quality of some of the people who were let go. It's really unclear how the 'list' was made.

Just paying the price for their arrogance.

I doubt the bloodshed is over this is "affy" all over again

All-umina