“Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ) paid a bargain price for Mercury Interactive Corp. (Pink Sheets:MERQ),” said Mercury founder Aryeh Finegold today. “Mercury has a special characteristic that is very rare in high-tech. It dominates its market. I’m talking about domination at a level that if it acquires another company, it would be on the verge of investigation as a monopoly. 95% of customers in the market buy Mercury products.”
Finegold founded Mercury in 1989 in a small house in Or Yehuda. “Today, I feel like a father whose son has brought his bride home for the first time,” he said. “In my opinion, Hewlett Packard and Mercury are a suitable couple, and I expect they’ll have a good future together.”
“Globes”: Other companies wanted to acquire Mercury. In your opinion, did Mercury pick the right buyer?
Finegold: “These are two companies well suited for each other. The acquisition is a good move for both Mercury and Hewlett Packard. They fit together like hand and glove, and it’s easy to see them together. I know Hewlett Packard from when they tried to acquire my first company, Daisy Systems Corp. Hewlett Packard was founded by two gentlemen, William Hewlett and David Packard, men with great charm who founded a model company.
“The link-up between Hewlett Packard and Mercury is very successful. Hewlett Packard sells IT systems that the whole world uses, and Mercury knows how to optimize their systems. In my opinion, Mercury can double or triple the performance of Hewlett Packard’s hardware and software.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on July 26, 2006
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006