Indeed. Years ago, someone I know worked at a VC backed HW startup. It failed. The founder personally met with several CEOs of other companies saying "Hey, we're going to fail. I've got great employees. Do you want to hire them en masse?"
He wasn't selling his company. Just finding a home for the employees.
Who ended up hiring them?
Jensen Huang. This was at a time Nvidia's survival was at stake. He personally traveled to the site (not Bay Area), gave a presentation to the engineers, and tried to convince them to join. Treated them well - it wasn't a case of "Hey, you've got no options other than me" but "Please consider joining me."
He wasn't selling his company. Just finding a home for the employees.
Who ended up hiring them?
Jensen Huang. This was at a time Nvidia's survival was at stake. He personally traveled to the site (not Bay Area), gave a presentation to the engineers, and tried to convince them to join. Treated them well - it wasn't a case of "Hey, you've got no options other than me" but "Please consider joining me."