Do you know for a fact that Smith did indeed hire Andy? My thought, perhaps incorrect, was that The Board lost confidence in Smith, allowed a graceful exit and then hired Andy. Perhaps Andy's availability may have made for an easy decision and hastened Smith's departure. Not saying you are wrong, that was just always my assumption.
As for shareowner communication, I don't believe we will see/hear anything from Andy until the transaction officially closes. Not much he can definitively say until then. Once it closes, he will most likely issue a share owner letter/update.
