When Yahoo! acquired Tumblr for $1.1B, everyone who used Tumblr was hoping that Yahoo! wouldn’t screw it up, as they have with some previous acquisitions.
When Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer took to Tumblr to announce the deal, she addressed this concern head on:
I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr!
We promise not to screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve. Yahoo! will help Tumblr get even better, faster.
(Emphasis mine.)
Most people writing an important, “professional” document like a press release or a sales proposal would never use the phrase “we promise not to screw it up.” It doesn’t sound like the bland MBA-speak that we associate with those kinds of documents, or much of the rest of the announcement, for that matter. However, it directly addresses the big concern. Just say it. Great job.
Hope they don’t screw it up.