Free Terminal Value by Thomas Waite

questions about the technology and stay apprised of the ever-changing new developments. He seemed more like a brilliant manipulator—a con artist who focused his abilities on making a great deal of money.
    Aware he was still angry at being left behind, Dylan was jarred out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Heather walked into the office. “These two puppy dogs followed me home. Can I keep them?”
    Tony and Rob trotted in behind her, giving their most mournful look. Dylan laughed for the first time in two weeks. “Hey, c’mon in. It’s been a long time since we had a chance to talk. How’s everybody doing?”
    Heather jumped right into the discussion with an exciting report. “We’ve got some beautiful new intuitive interfaces in development at the L.A. office.” She filled them in on the rapid growth of the experience design group—the folks who concentrated on making sure any mobile device was intuitive, easy to navigate, and attractive. “Our clients will be blown away by what they see. We designed a new mobile interface for a smartphone screen, and our testing showed the client would likely see an increase in revenues of over thirty percent.” Her enthusiasm blew through the room, infecting Tony and Rob, while Dylan remained quiet, observing his friends.
    â€œThat’s incredible. Have you got a demo?” asked Tony.
    â€œNot with me,” she replied. “I could send the application via e-mail, but then I’d have to convince Ivan it’s not a breach of company security.” She rolled her eyes. “That man is a menace.”
    â€œIt’s the quiet period,” said Rob. “He’s trying to be extra careful.”
    â€œIs there really any danger?” Heather asked.
    Rob turned on her. “Heather, you know damn well the SEC takes this stuff very seriously. The ‘quiet period’ is a restriction. It’s meant to keep companies from improperly hyping the stock before it goes public.”
    â€œRight,” Heather said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks for the reminder.”
    Dylan noticed the tension between them but remained quiet.
    Rob turned to Dylan. “What’s the news on the road show?”
    Dylan took a deep breath. All the members of the team had duties that kept them busy, and he had kept the news of his lack of participation to himself. Now he was glad of that decision because he knew he’d only have to tell it once.
    â€œI’m not going on the road show,” he announced.
    â€œWhat?” they all said in unison. Tony and Heather crowded around the desk; Rob remained seated across from Dylan and leaned forward.
    â€œChristine gave me the news earlier this month. Of course, it was Art’s decision, but he had Christine tell me. I’m guessing he doesn’t like to give bad news.”
    â€œIs he friggin’ insane?” Tony demanded. “Doesn’t he know that our mobile computing capability is what’s going to drive our valuation?”
    â€œI tried to explain that.”
    â€œAnd?” said Rob.
    â€œShe made it crystal clear Art is going to handle it.”
    â€œYou’re fucking kidding me!” said Tony. “Art can’t talk knowledgeably about the mobile computing world. That’s not his strong point. Has he lost his mind?”
    â€œTony, I pushed as hard as I could. I told both of them it was a huge mistake, but neither of them would budge.”
    â€œJesus,” said Heather. “That decision could really hurt us.” She knew they all had visions of their IPO being like Google’s, not some old tired dog. When Google went public, the company’s market value had skyrocketed to over twenty-three billion dollars, making many employees instant paper millionaires.
    â€œI know. It’s unbelievably stupid,” Dylan said.
    â€œSo why won’t they let you go?” Rob asked.
    â€œShe said