Just IMHO,
I rarely post, but do keep up with events (with thanks to some great individuals on this board), and thought TZ's Shareholder Letter was one of the better pieces of communication that I've ever read - from any CEO. Rarely, if ever, do you get a CEO who lays the cards on the table, and I think Tom pretty much did just that. There are individuals who just can't help being negative, and who may have reason to doubt based on the years of trying - albeit without much, if any, success from an investor's perspective - that has kept the company from realizing the breakthroughs they have been striving for, and the financial rewards everyone has hoped for. And the board has individuals who lean in the opposite direction, hoping - and trying to believe - that success is just around the corner.
Over the past few months, the dial on the Raging Optimism vs. Unrepentant Pessimism scale has had some pretty big swings, like in the past few days following release of the Letter. I believe I'm an optimist, but also a realist, understanding that despite the time it's been in existence, Lightwave is still a startup, and while I firmly think the technology is real, and can very possibly result in something akin to Edison's light bulb, I'm not expecting THE ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow, or in the next several months.
There's recently been a lot of discussion on boards and in the news about MNKD; I did pretty well on that, but for a long time (maybe still) it was considered to be a dog by a lot of savvy investors, finally may be coming into it's own - but if all goes well, the overnight success of the company will have been years in the making.
I may have said this before, in a post long ago, but what individuals are buying when they buy shares of LWLG are non-expiring options in a company that may be the next Intel. This is not an investment, it's a straight-out bet that may fail, but may make you financially set for life. There are folks who have a small wager on this, and some who have bet the farm, and there's great information to be garnered on this board from some great posters to help us understand more fully the nature of our bet; but it's just that, a bet, maybe someday it will prove to be a great investment, but not yet.
I read some individuals saying, I've lost faith, don't believe in the company anymore, but I'm gonna stick with this to the bitter end .... are you serious?? That's an investment strategy?? That's like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer, firmly believing it's going to do you in, but you're going to stick with it come what may. Please, put down the hammer, sell the stock, and find something you believe in on which to risk your hard-earned capital.
I'm a believer in the Goo, and in the Guys trying to get this technology into the end zone, and make me rich in the process, but right now it's just a bet I've made that may - and may not - pay off bigtime.
Time will tell. And we might as well try as best we can to maintain out patience, or if we can't, sell our options and try something else. I hope we all fare well.
