Author Topic: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim  (Read 7075 times)

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Offline chickenTopic starter

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Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« on: July 13, 2020, 04:16:02 am »
Another big chip merger in the works:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-13/analog-devices-is-said-near-deal-to-buy-maxim-for-17-billion

It feels like the AD/Linear merger was just yesterday, but it's already been 4 years!


 
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Offline daqq

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2020, 06:11:55 am »
Another one gets assimilated... damn, this is not going to end well.
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Offline tggzzz

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2020, 07:12:23 am »
Old saying: "Friends don't let friends buy Maxim".

It would be a shame if AD becomes tarred by that percepetion.
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
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Offline tom66

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2020, 07:39:20 am »
Will you finally be able to buy Maxim parts then?

I'd really not like to see yet another semiconductor company assimilated by the borg.  We need competition, not megacorps.
 
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Offline kripton2035

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2020, 08:19:59 am »
in the end there will only be one ...
 

Offline daqq

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2020, 10:30:30 am »
in the end there will only be one ...
More likely a few giant ones who will most certainly have no sort of secret price fixing back room deals and will most certainly not form any sort of cartel that would affect competition.
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Offline station240

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2020, 11:16:04 am »
I really don't see the point of these takeovers, I mean less choice/innovation is bad for economies.
The most commonly used parts are those with multiple manufacturers, like the 78xx regulators, 74xx/40xx logic, jelly bean opamps/passives.
Single source parts can be a disaster for manufacturing, as history has shown.
 

Offline Siwastaja

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2020, 11:28:45 am »
Well, generally I agree that the combination of medium-sized semiconductor manufacturers to few megacorporations is a bit scary, I would dare to say that in case of Maxim, a company with reputation of having quite a few interesting and innovative designs and products, but failure to meet specs and failure to deliver parts due to manufacturing logistics problems, being acquired by AD, a company well known to handle these areas very well, can only be good.

For many designers, this could finally mean they are actually able to use the Maxim parts they have looked at but couldn't afford because of the risks involved when dealing with Maxim.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2020, 11:30:31 am by Siwastaja »
 
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Offline bitwelder

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2020, 11:32:40 am »
What's the overlap between AD and Maxim catalogues?
(i.e., which Maxim parts would likely be obsoleted ?)
 

Offline tggzzz

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2020, 11:36:28 am »
What's the overlap between AD and Maxim catalogues?
(i.e., which Maxim parts would likely be obsoleted ?)

tom66's comment is appropriate: "Will you finally be able to buy Maxim parts then?".

Or to answer your question with a question, "would we notice any difference if Maxim obsoleted a part?" :)
« Last Edit: July 13, 2020, 11:46:50 am by tggzzz »
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
Glider pilot's aphorism: "there is no substitute for span". Retort: "There is a substitute: skill+imagination. But you can buy span".
Having fun doing more, with less
 
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Offline daqq

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2020, 12:03:02 pm »
Quote
I really don't see the point of these takeovers, I mean less choice/innovation is bad for economies.
But they are awesome for stockholders. This sort of thing is not meant as good for the customer, but rather good for the company - companies understandably don't like competition. Customers do.
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Offline pidcon

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2020, 12:35:58 pm »
Old saying: "Friends don't let friends buy Maxim".

It would be a shame if AD becomes tarred by that percepetion.

I don't understand the old saying. Could you please elaborate?
 

Offline tggzzz

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2020, 12:44:34 pm »
Old saying: "Friends don't let friends buy Maxim".

It would be a shame if AD becomes tarred by that percepetion.

I don't understand the old saying. Could you please elaborate?

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22friends+don%27t+let+friends+use+maxim%22
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22friends+don%27t+let+friends+buy+maxim%22
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
Glider pilot's aphorism: "there is no substitute for span". Retort: "There is a substitute: skill+imagination. But you can buy span".
Having fun doing more, with less
 

Offline pidcon

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Offline schmitt trigger

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2020, 02:22:13 pm »
If those were truly mergers, I wouldn't have a problem.
Rather these are acquisitions, for pretty good money. Money which has to be borrowed, saddling debt on (usually) the acquired company.

The end result is that instead of re-investing profits in R&D and equipment, those profits are used to service debt.
"Cost reduction" efforts become the over-riding company focus. People leave or are let go.
The end result is that the acquired company is decimated, and the resulting conglomerate is less than the sum of its previous parts.

Having said this, ADI actually has done a good job with Linear Tech, it has allowed it to maintain some modicum of corporate identity. LTSpice has not been replaced by ADSpice.

Not so with TI, which has completely digested and vanished National. Among others, like Burr-Brown and Unitrode.
 
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Offline DrG

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2020, 03:13:52 pm »
So many years ago, back in the day so-to-speak, I bought a few shares of Dallas Semiconductor, and ended up owning fewer shares of Maxim. If this goes through, I guess I will end up owning still fewer shares of AD.
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Offline SilverSolder

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2020, 04:11:12 pm »

[...]

I'd really not like to see yet another semiconductor company assimilated by the borg.  We need competition, not megacorps.


The real competition is probably foreign companies (Chinese, particularly?).
 

Offline grouchobyte

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #17 on: July 13, 2020, 06:26:42 pm »
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maxim-intg-m-a-analog-devices/chipmaker-analog-devices-to-buy-rival-maxim-for-about-21-billion-idUSKCN24E14B

21 billion? Finally I can consider Maxim again after mothballing them for over 3 decades. I have been lobbying TI, LT and ADI to buy the f***king turd for decades.

Maxim royally pissed me off in 1991 and I swore I would never consider them ever again,.... until now :clap:

Bob
« Last Edit: July 13, 2020, 06:43:02 pm by grouchobyte »
 

Offline AndyC_772

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #18 on: July 13, 2020, 06:49:41 pm »
https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/13/analog_devices_confirms_merger_with/

As long as I can still buy the MAX16910 I'll be happy, it's a fantastic little regulator. Robust, surprisingly accurate, and good for 125 deg C.

Offline nfmax

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2020, 06:56:43 pm »
So Barrie Gilbert's two IC houses are finally united: Tektronix sold their analogue IC operation to Maxim when the end of the analogue CRO became inevitable.
 

Online Echo88

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2020, 07:14:07 pm »
How can those companies proclaim that chinese competition is the reason for mergers when China continues to strive for independence in electronic components either way?
 

Offline SilverSolder

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2020, 07:20:15 pm »
How can those companies proclaim that chinese competition is the reason for mergers when China continues to strive for independence in electronic components either way?

The Chinese are good and getting better - and they have scale.  So to compete against Chinese companies requires not only being good, but also requires economies of scale.

Either that, or be a "boutique shop" with specialised products of some kind.
 

Offline 16bitanalogue

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2020, 07:46:04 pm »
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maxim-intg-m-a-analog-devices/chipmaker-analog-devices-to-buy-rival-maxim-for-about-21-billion-idUSKCN24E14B

21 billion? Finally I can consider Maxim again after mothballing them for over 3 decades. I have been lobbying TI, LT and ADI to buy the f***king turd for decades.

Maxim royally pissed me off in 1991 and I swore I would never consider them ever again,.... until now :clap:

Bob

To be fair, Maxim has never been a company to pay attention to the smaller companies, makers, or hobbyists. Maxim focuses on their strategic partners like Apple, Samsung, Amazon, etc. So the undercurrent of "Friends don't let friends by Maxim" has never been a concern for the company because there has never been a desire to play in the mass market.
Contrast this to TI, especially over the last 15 years, has had a strategy of "growing the tail" and going after the mass market and doing a pretty damn good job at it.
 
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Offline grouchobyte

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2020, 08:09:45 pm »
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maxim-intg-m-a-analog-devices/chipmaker-analog-devices-to-buy-rival-maxim-for-about-21-billion-idUSKCN24E14B

21 billion? Finally I can consider Maxim again after mothballing them for over 3 decades. I have been lobbying TI, LT and ADI to buy the f***king turd for decades.

Maxim royally pissed me off in 1991 and I swore I would never consider them ever again,.... until now :clap:

Bob

To be fair, Maxim has never been a company to pay attention to the smaller companies, makers, or hobbyists. Maxim focuses on their strategic partners like Apple, Samsung, Amazon, etc. So the undercurrent of "Friends don't let friends by Maxim" has never been a concern for the company because there has never been a desire to play in the mass market.
Contrast this to TI, especially over the last 15 years, has had a strategy of "growing the tail" and going after the mass market and doing a pretty damn good job at it.

Correct. I agree. Maxim never gave a s**t about my business and never gave them a second look even though their parts were ideal in my designs. So for 30 plus years they never saw the light of day in my world and when I explained the rationale to my employer and my clients....Most were totally okay with my decisions simply because they themselves had been burned by Maxim’s selfish policies or as they called it “ “strategy” or market “focus”

So now, because of market pressure ADI are acquiring Maxim.  I applaud  that because now I can consider them as a complement to the other global players, since many of their parts are an outstanding value to me now clearly without the maxim bullsh*t factor.....like why are the MOQ and deliveries ridiculous, etc
 

Offline E-Design

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Re: Analog Devices in talks to buy Maxim
« Reply #24 on: July 13, 2020, 08:25:12 pm »
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maxim-intg-m-a-analog-devices/chipmaker-analog-devices-to-buy-rival-maxim-for-about-21-billion-idUSKCN24E14B

21 billion? Finally I can consider Maxim again after mothballing them for over 3 decades. I have been lobbying TI, LT and ADI to buy the f***king turd for decades.

Maxim royally pissed me off in 1991 and I swore I would never consider them ever again,.... until now :clap:

Bob

To be fair, Maxim has never been a company to pay attention to the smaller companies, makers, or hobbyists. Maxim focuses on their strategic partners like Apple, Samsung, Amazon, etc. So the undercurrent of "Friends don't let friends by Maxim" has never been a concern for the company because there has never been a desire to play in the mass market.
Contrast this to TI, especially over the last 15 years, has had a strategy of "growing the tail" and going after the mass market and doing a pretty damn good job at it.

Correct. I agree. Maxim never gave a s**t about my business and never gave them a second look even though their parts were ideal in my designs. So for 30 plus years they never saw the light of day in my world and when I explained the rationale to my employer and my clients....Most were totally okay with my decisions simply because they themselves had been burned by Maxim’s selfish policies or as they called it “ “strategy” or market “focus”

So now, because of market pressure ADI are acquiring Maxim.  I applaud  that because now I can consider them as a complement to the other global players, since many of their parts are an outstanding value to me now clearly without the maxim bullsh*t factor.....like why are the MOQ and deliveries ridiculous, etc

Agreed.. Ideally, ADI buys them up and takes their portfolio as their own including ADI/LT generous policies of very rarely obsoleting a device. On the other hand, if ADI adopts Maxims obsolescence policy - the world will end.  :(
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