RE:Vote at upcoming agmPercySweetwater wrote: There has been some discussion here, and in other forums, as to the validity of DM buying it's way into different verticals, instead of partnering with a product/service delivery company. In such partnerships DM would contribute AI tech and the partner would contribute expertise and resources in delivering products/services to the vertical. It has been argued that DM's core expertise is in AI tech, not in marketing and delivering medical services (for example).
I am happy that DM is using its AI tech in different verticals, but not with DM's apparent need to "own" the product/service delivery vehicle in each vertical. I believe that DM should focus on its core expertise, continual development of its AI tech and integration into various verticals. A mgmt team that is trying to operate in multiple verticals is not going to be able to focus on AI development.
To send a message to DM I am going to "withhold" my vote for all of the DM directors in the upcoming AGM (via the voting form, not going to the agm myself). JMO.
I would like to think management has done their due diligence when deciding to own the vertical as opposed to just leasing out their AI technology or whatever the other option may be. I'm very confident that these are not last minute decisions.
Management would have far more information in front of them than what the average shareholder would know or comprehend. This should allow management to hopefully make good decisions through extensive due diligence in how to move the company forward. I realize that this will not always be the case and management of a company can certainly make a poor decision, but how many poor decisions are made versus good decisions? And in some cases, you need to let the decision play out over a reasonable amount of time before drawing any informed conclusions. I believe it made sense to own Medi-Call, as they already have the infrastructure in place from their covid venture and if my understanding is correct, this vertical is a result of industries and corporations approaching them to provide this service. And their AI has the ability to provide a much better service than other telemedicine companies.
At the moment, we seem to get a lot of armchair CEO's on this bullboard that are very critical of a few acquisitions, yet no time has been given to see how they play out. A lot of uninformed criticism and harsh judgements with absolutely no information in front of them or numbers to back them up. And some of it are just bashers being bashers where information doesn't matter and time can be their enemy.
This is why when you decide to invest in a stock, I believe management should be high on your list of reasons for your decision to invest in or not invest in a stock. I do like the management of DM and their AI technology and I do like the direction they are going. If you don't believe in the management, it is hard to believe in the stock, regardless of what the product is and how good the product is, as management is in control of that product.
In the future, I would like to see management continue to grow and expand the company and add their AI tech into far more verticals through either partnerships and/or acquisitions. In certain cases, management has clearly come to the conclusion that having complete control of some verticals through an acquisition is of greater benefit to the company and its shareholders in the long run. I would think, less bureaucracy between companies allows for faster progress when it comes to the implementation and integrating of the the AI technology. I would also hope that the decision to acquire has shown through due diligence that there will be a greater a revenue stream for the company.
I can't see how operating multiple verticals would not allow the company to focus on their AI development or not be a benefit. 1) The company would have divisions that focus solely on certain things, one being the development of their AI. For example the appointment of Maxime Martineau as the new Chief Technology Officer. I would assume based on his title his focus is on the technology as he is the brains behind their Nexology AI tech. 2) Multiple different verticals gives the developers multiple different results in how their AI is operating and performing. I would think this is benefical to the developers and programmers in troubleshooting possible issues that can arise and in improving the technology. Information is power!
Growth is good for the company, as long as it is done in a meaningful way. I trust that the management has the shareholders best interests in mind, as they are also shareholders in the company and will benefit from an increase in the stock price.
As for voting for or against the approval of the stock option plan, there are several ways to view it. Stock options are an incentive to work harder and to grow the company to get the stock price higher. Shareholders can't really deny the fact that management has grown the company substantially in the last few years. I know that it is definitely not reflected in the current share price, but market conditions are not great either, so what is the real reason for the lower share price? If they priced the options at a much higher price would this satisfy shareholders and give more confidence in the direction of the company? I would agree that cheap options relative to the current share price should not be given out. and I am certainly disappointed in the current shareprice, but of course the current market conditions have a lot to do with it, which is not in management's control. As of yet, I'm undecided.
Thanks, these are more of the disussions we should be having.