Depends on who's point you look at it from. The investors and the founders get to make out pretty well, so to them it's a success. The acquiring company doesn't

Depends on who's point you look at it from. The investors and the founders get to make out pretty well, so to them it's a success. The acquiring company doesn't have to pay a lot of employees actual money, and they give them something which handcuffs them to the company for a while, so to them it's a success.