just wondering

Should Genentech Become Part of Roche?

Isn't 56% of amazingly awesome and successful better than 100% of 'par for the course'. It seems foolish (at best) for Roche to assume that they can acquire such a fiercely independent bunch of geniuses without destroying the essence of what makes Genentech successful. Their assurances of "things won't change" don't really mean much. They've already said that late stage go/no-go decisions would be transferred from Genentech to Roche. That may seem like a minor issue to Roche but that underlies how little they understand about the culture of Genentech where emphasis on the patients, the science and the commitment to meeting significant unmet medical needs continuously drives the decision making processes.

I think that if Roche is "successful" in their bid that they will ultimately lose much more than they've gained because 56% of a whole lot is a way more than 100% of not so much. But ultimately the biggest losers may be the patients who depend on the innovation that Genentech has fostered for more than 30 years.