AVAYA is a PRIVATE EQUITY PROJECT. We are just the unfortunate "extras"

AVAYA IS NOT
✓✓✓ A company of EMPLOYEES. Not a company of TEAMS. Not a company focused on delivering value and innovation to end-user CLIENTS.

AVAYA IS
✓✓✓ A HOLDING company for the 10(+/-) Powers-that-Be (Apollo/Bain/Masarek/Brigade Capital/BoD & 5-7 insider equity employees DA ST ER CFO CPO CMO)
✓✓✓ An exercise to INFLATE Value for their Sell-Off and their PAYDAY.

EDIFY CX IS...
✓✓✓ Edify CX was a promising organization. Mission was solid. Yet we don't know it's financial position as to why they would need to be acquired. We don't know what Avaya paid or will pay. We DO KNOW that the Headline such an acquisition brings is precisely the Smoke Signals Avaya needs to be sending to the market to reset the narrative. Get investors interested. Feel the market to determine how far they can push things for their end-game pay day.

[*Remember. This is Not different from the Watson(Chairman of the Board), Chirico(CEO) McGrath (CFO) Play 2018-2022. That trio just overplayed their hand. Didn't know when to fold and walk. Got greedy and lost it all. They walked from Mitel offer @$20-22/share PLUS $2b].<<<<

CEO PLAYBOOK IS
✓✓✓ A Serial "swoop" into an established company that needs better standing with PE partners.
✓✓✓ PE is who plants AM.
✓✓✓ Early career was heavily start-ups. Many obsolete technologies (hence why they are not widely spoken of).
✓✓✓ AM comes in as new turn-around leader. Somehow gets recognized as a founder when he is not. Then acquires a few. Boosts the companies market perception. In one case spun off an acquisition. Then rebrands or sells (or both).
✓✓✓ At Vongage board lost confidence before the sale so he was the guy who did the turnaround but not the sale.
✓✓✓ AM was involved with Apollo/ Bain and possibly others (the PE's who tried but failed) prior to accepting the role in May 2022.
✓✓✓ He may not have been convinced they needed to be brought to Chapter 11 at that time. Yet he knew it was his perfect wounded bird to offer up to the private equity gods.
✓✓✓ AM is universally liked in market. The messiness that became Avaya is not his cup of tea. Will be interesting to see if he manages out the chronically not-liked toxic characters in the market such as ST or ML. SS being out is a huge gain. Significant liability from the person who lacked "Internal Controls" as the Chief Compliance Officer of a company with an active SEC Investigation.

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9 replies (most recent on top)

They’re looking for new colors because “red” reminds everyone of Alan’s lies.

Absolutely!

Now, what is this about new branding...colors?

Omg! Bain is actually on stage during CRO moderated panel.

Absolutely Private Equity! Absolutely Bain is now at the helm. Wow.

Very accurate....sell off of patents is part of this Bain Play.,

https://www.iam-media.com/article/avaya-sells-1500-voip-patent-assets-dominion-harbor

PE, always in it for a good time, not a long time. Not sure what "parts" are left at Avaya, but that's what they will try and sell, part by part.

Wow! This post is excellent. So much insight. I've been digging around since I first read this and am overwhelmed with the accuracy of this information.

AM has a loooooong history playing this particular Private Equity game. Likely the only time he ever was in a spot long enough to be forced to consider "employee issues" was Vonage. Which explains why he is so impressed with his DPTW as he has zero perspective of any other employee leadership experience.

Heck. He joined a company (was not the founder despite the Avaya analysts claiming he founded a company that was sold to Google), and less than a year after it was sold to Google it was sent to the "Google Graveyard! (See FAILory Post https://www.failory.com/google/quickoffice)

The above example just proves it is ONLY about a payday. Not about the longevity and value of a product/solution. Not about clients. Most certainly NOT about employees.

He used his time at Google as a rebirth. The move to Vonage is interesting. The Analysts only knows him from their and trusted that his background prior was similar. Yet in the end, Vonage faced the same fate. Bottom line, he's never been a Caretaker Executive Leader. Which we all know is the most difficult role. It's much easier to be a headline turnaround gal/guy and even easier to be a Private Equity placed leader.

EDIFY CX Key ❓

FACTS

created by co-founders Cameron Weeks and Bracken Fields in 2018." And .. "Avaya and Edify started talking about working together last year. However, 2023 was a rough year for Edify. Both Weeks and Fields would leave the company before the end of the year, and Edify went quiet. The acquisition announcement is the first post on its company blog since Septemeber 2023".

❓
++ Why did the founders depart?
++ Why did the previously active blog go dark?

ST Hunter the deal would close by Enterprise Connect. What delayed the deal?

I can't speak for this poster, but I will recommend that you all do what I do. When an excellent post appears, I archive it in a word document with the date and time. I keep it for my records. So I didn't see this before it was deleted but if I had it would have been archived. I don't trust them not to find a way to delete the real important posts. This site has been invaluable to me in navigating the BS. Most appreciative.

You reposted your comment after Avaya demanded it be removed - I like your style !

Thread regarding Avaya layoffs

AVAYA is a PRIVATE EQUITY PROJECT. We are just the unfortunate "extras"

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