not a bad idea, now any body has that cash below their bed.?

yeah i think i might have it.. ikept it in a chest.
oh wait. that bloomin pirate jack sparrow stole it.
that bugger pirate.

.rite... better keep this on topic or im gonna get blasted again to lock this thread.
in all eventuality, do u think our oakley collection will actually be worth more if lux screws up oakley?

I'm in for $50 mill...that should make it easier on some of the other members who can't cough up the full $6.5 mill.

The deal is not finalized yet so i say there still may be hope it does not go through, who knows with Oakley they may pull something at the last minute if not, then I would have to agree with Nik , its over.

Retracted

Its all about the money!

all businesses are.

We have been had. Its all about the money!

Would you be able to turn away 1.2 Billion? I know I could not. Think about it why do we work? no matter how much you may love your job in the end its all about getting the $$ I am sure Mr Jannard thought this out and felt that this was the culmination of his life's work to start with $300.00 in a garage for a grip to making $1.2 billion of that 300 buck investment.I say congrats, well done and thanks it was a hell of a ride.

Retracted

I agree. He made something out of nothing. It's been many years. Now he wants to enjoy that. All he worked for. Now he can relax and do whatever he wants. Don't get me wrong, I AM sad that this is going on. But you can't blame him. This was bound to happen. No matter if he stayed or didn't...eventually it will turn corporate. After he's gone, all the business big shots come in and take over trying to make more and more $$$ for the company. That's how it works with every corporation. All I hope is for the core values to stick.

You can never take away from what the man has done. He took a product and made it better from his trunk he has made billions. I am EXTREMELY disappointed that Oakley will now be LuxOaklica, and the fact that Jannard will still be there has signs of hope for those who are unknowing of these things, but it will be changed.

You can not knock the guy, he is pouring his soul into Red, and it is his NEW OAKLEY if you will, and it is the Mom & Pops of high end cameras, which will undoubtedly revolutionize cinematography and the likes the same way Oakley did eyewear. I just can't see a "Red-Review" popping up and people flossing $20k cameras all over like we do the eyewear, but it is his passion now and we must respect him. I too feel like we are being left in the dust with this whole deal, but it is the "American Way" and was bound to happen. It still may not be done, but the heart is dead and Oakley even if not sold, will be a carcass on a table.

Please all be respectful of Jim and his pursuits and ventures. Without him, we would not all be here conversing and would have not become the brotherhood that we are, and he gets my utmost respect for creating a lifestyle that has found me many cool friends and a great network! Long live the memory and belief of what made Oakley! I still would love to shake Jim's hand and thank him in person for his creations and accomplishments.

Retracted

Yeah well check your dictionary cuz calling someone a sellout is disrespectful. You have no idea what you're talking about. Wonder what you'd do in front of 1.4 billion dollars. Not sure you'd refuse on the grounds that a few hundred fanatics are going to be disappointed. Like it was said before, that's how all businesses work. It's their purpose. Sure Jim built and ran this deal in a different way than most have, and it made the company special. But it was always a company, and that's what happens to companies.

You can disagree or dislike or be angry by such a move, but you have no right to call him names like that. It's such a blind, narrow-minded and immature call.

I just wish he ended it in a better way.

What, as in bankruptcy? What better way could Oakley ''end'' (since that's what you're calling it) ? I know you're mad, but it wouldn't hurt you to think before you write sometimes.

Again, someone alrady said that the deal was not final, there are still plenty of details to be worked out. We won't see a change in the way things are ran nor the products before at least a year. So calm down everyone, there is no need to panic just yet. All we're doing right now is speculation and getting worked up for reasons that are still unexistant to this day.

There are many different directions in which this whole thing can go, and it would be foolish to throw the towel right now and give up on this brand that we all love.

So cool down, let the soup sit for a bit, take a breather and try to keep on enjoying the O the same way you were two weeks ago. WHEN we do see something changing, we can assess it appropriately.

But there's no point in digging ten million webcast on google, yahoo and the likes, and trying analyzing what this or that means. Opinions are different, versions of the facts are different. But we're all doing really is turning around a black dot and we have no idea what it is.

Cheers

I was shocked like anybody else was...but if we try to let our emotions as true Oakley believers aside, this was just a matter of time. It's Luxottica, okay, that's hard for most of us, because Oakley fanatics around the world battled them and their optics for decades. But it could have been VF, or PPR, LVMH or any other really big company as well. Luxottica understands the optical business, manufacturing efficiency & women's eyewear, Oakley understands performance, technology and active lifestyle. Maybe they'll benefit from each others respective strengths without Oakley losing its characteristic edge. Let's hope I'm right.

It could have been N ike.

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Retracted

Freedom of speech doesn't apply to a private forum, especially one in which the owners have said to keep the posts constructive and non-personal. And if you're going to call someone a sellout, don't try to justify it by saying you were misunderstood. It's right there.

It could have been N ike.

Worse, it could have been Foakley Direct Inc doing business out of the back of a white van!

With freedom of speach, comes responsible speech, yadda yadda. Jim has his reasons, and if I was 57 and spent my whole life on a business, a billion dollars when it's all over is a hard thing to pass down. We still have the past models to turn to, and as many have said, we haven't, nor will for a while, see the new stuff, so it's a long waiting game. I'll reserve judgement until then.

Edit: thanks Michael

It could have been N ike.

I was actually thinking about who esle would have been able to do this deal. I think it might have been better for us if it was N ike - at least it would have been a more even partnership and there would have been less chance of Oakley being swallowed up like with the Luxtottica monster and more of a chance of O design and tech staying around...

Anyways - as has been said, you can't blame a guy for cashing in on his success - we should be grateful we got this many years of JJ's efforts.

I have retracted all my comments. Ill sit this forum out.

profoundnessI see nothing wrong with having a negative opinion of this merger, but we should adhere to proper rules of conduct and forum ettiquette. I thank Jim for all he has done to make Oakley the company it is today. Would I have preferred him to hold on to the company? Of course. But, he chose to sell it to his biggest competitor for over a billion dollars. Hardly a stupid move. As an avid collector like the rest of you, I am not going to look for rainbows, pots of gold or silver linings though. Like a lot of you, I am fearful of what the future holds and I think we are quite justified in feeling this way. If people want to be completely optimistic that is fine, but we pessimists have just as much right to feel the way we do. Whatever the future holds, it sure brings drama to our little hobby here and I am both nervous and a bit excited to see where this all goes. One thing is for sure, this is the dawn of a new age for our beloved "O".[/profoundness]

rick that is deep man.

All I got to say is so what. It will shake out how it shakes out, come back in a year and see what's changed then.

stroking beard Thanks [/stroking beard]