Altman told Hoffman that he might have an answer to the problem: a strategic partnership. The term strategic partnership is a handy one that companies frequently use to cover a wide range of corporate relationships that could put them at arm’s length or on a tight leash. It could mean sharing money and technology between two firms or setting up a licensing agreement. The term was ambiguous enough to hide the true nature of an awkward corporate relationship, perhaps one with complicated financial ties or where one firm has an embarrassing amount of control over another. “Partnership” implied a
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