Qualcomm didn't need to tip CFIUS
Qualcomm started life as a supplier of secure comms to the DoD.
Qualcomm took a deep breath, counted to three and responded to Broadcom's weekend broadside before postponing its stockholder meeting by a month. And Broadcom hit right back. The Singapore-based chip business accused Qualcomm of tipping the wink to the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to take a …
All the finance news pages somehow miss the Qualcomm federal and security work, instead focusing on mobile IP licensing alone. People like a simple headline I guess.
If China approves the Qualcomm NXP deal, then Europe will never sign off on broadcom unless they match the expensive reassurances given by Qualcomm. They won't line up NXP plants in Germany to be carved up by the Huckster.
Bloomberg report that early board votes were tipping towards broadcom directors. This is surprising, as a take over could succeed, but regulatory approval is far far less likely than hocky says. And meanwhile profitability is damaged waiting for a deal to fail. Turkeys voting for Christmas. Ironically Apple would be the only winner, as broadcom taking over would give them cheaper licensing, and if it fails and Qualcomm is damaged, then a favourable settlement is more likely. Their strategy of paying Qualcomm customers not to pay licenses is working, as it left the lowered share price a target for this.