In May this year two companies worth a combined $1.23 billion in market capitalization tendered hostile bids to buy each other. The bids were rejected, and confidential talks between the companies broke down in a rather unusual exchange of accusatory letters. One of the companies even highlighted weaknesses it saw in the other company's SEC filing.

The two companies, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, are key providers of satellite imagery to the United States intelligence community.