Hey, it worked for Ron Artest, right?
Last year, lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 filed for bankruptcy after receiving $133 million of a $249 million taxpayer-funded DOE stimulus. Further cementing its rock-solid reputation, it was then purchased by Wanxiang, a Chinese auto parts manufacturer. The powers that be at A123 had to find a way to win back the public’s trust, but how? Why, a name change, of course!
As The Washington Free Beacon reports, A123 will henceforth be known as … B456.
Screencap of A123 name change filing pic.twitter.com/ZtJUMkjT1Z
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) March 28, 2013
Guess they held their focus group sessions on Sesame Street.
According to Dan Primack, who writes for Fortune.com, an A123 spokesperson insists that the name change isn’t really a name-change-name-change:
A123 spox: "This is a name change for “old A123” i.e. the parts of the company still tied up in bankruptcy proceedings."
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) March 28, 2013
… "businesses that were sold to Wanxiang America are still operating under the name A123 Systems. Our legal name is A123 Systems LLC"
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) March 28, 2013
Evidently, A123/B456 takes us all for fools.
https://twitter.com/ByronTau/status/317349168404389888
After sale to Chinese firm, A123 Systems changes its name to B456 Systems, I kid you not. SEC filing here: http://t.co/FlYJmYeCcL
— Nathan Bomey (@NathanBomey) March 28, 2013
This can't be real. RT @charliespiering: Screencap of A123 name change filing pic.twitter.com/gtGyQU9bmt
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) March 28, 2013
I can't believe this is real. This can't be real. RT @charliespiering: A123 changes their name to B456 via @lachlan http://t.co/8b0ud6sFaq
— Joel Gehrke (@Joelmentum) March 28, 2013
Recommended
Oh, it’s real. But not terribly spectacular.
B456 was A123
Now it's B456, not A123
Been a long time gone, A123
Now it's Chinese delight on a moonlit nighthttp://t.co/pHUaO6eedz— Nick Bunkley (@nickbunkley) March 28, 2013
Because 7 ate 9. "After sale to Chinese firm, A123 Systems changes its name to B456 Systems" http://t.co/lOV2FtTFDW" via @nathanbomey
— Walter Tornopilsky (@Tornopilsky) March 28, 2013
RT @msbrumfield Not the Onion: embattled battery company A123 changes name to B456 http://t.co/sB8wQ51xVH < betcha can guess their password
— yoav schreiber (@yschreiber) March 28, 2013
Oof.
Coming soon… C789 Systems
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) March 28, 2013
Sigh.
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