Comverse Technology
Comverse Technology, Inc. was a telecommunications software company founded in 1984 by Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, Boaz Misholi, and Yechiam Yemini in Woodbury, New York, initially as the parent of the Israel-based Efrat Future Technology, Ltd., and focused on developing integrated systems for voice, fax messaging, and call processing in telephone networks.[1]
The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1986 and experienced rapid expansion through contracts such as a $10 million deal with the German government in 1990 and an agreement with AT&T in 1992 to deploy its messaging systems, achieving annual revenues of $98.84 million by 1994 and establishing itself as a pioneer in products like the Trilogue and AudioDisk platforms.[1] By the late 1990s, Comverse had become the market share leader in wireless voice messaging systems, generating over $1.2 billion in annual revenue while serving major global carriers through partnerships with entities including Nokia and Ascom.[2][1]
Comverse's trajectory was derailed by a securities fraud scandal involving the backdating of stock options from 1998 to 2006, orchestrated by CEO Alexander and coconspirators who used hindsight to select favorable grant dates, misrepresenting the options in public filings and overstating company profits, which necessitated financial restatements.[3][4] Alexander fled to Namibia in 2006 ahead of indictment, was extradited in 2016, pleaded guilty, and received a 30-month prison sentence in 2017 after also attempting to bribe a witness, forfeiting approximately $60 million in gains and settlements.[3][5] The episode highlighted governance failures at the firm, which had transformed from a startup into a telecom software leader under Alexander's direction but faced lasting reputational and financial damage.[6]