I'm thinking of replacing my external mixer with a more capable audio interface so that I can do everything inside the PC. On paper the Tascam 16x08 looks like a good option but based on research and recent events I have a couple of questions:

1. How good are the current drivers? There seem to be conflicting reports about stability and performance.
2. Given that Tascam is part of Gibson, is there is risk that they might get closed down like Cakewalk? This seems unlikely to me as they I'm sure that Tascam is more likely to attract buyers that Cakewalk BUT its hard to ignore.

Logical alternative seems to be the ESI U168 XT which has the same IO capabilities and a simpler internal mixer.
 
Any thoughts?

I would look at the TASCAM US 20x20 instead.  Newer, great sound, good features and USB 3, while TASCAM writes the same drivers for the US series of interfaces in-house.  The 1608 is older and not part of the US series/drivers.  I've also got a UH 7000 and the drivers aren't that good and haven't been upgraded in years - and not likely to be since earlier drivers were written for TASCAM, not by. 
 
And they are a hardware company so there is actual value associated with the company.  No incentive to buy them to shut down brick and mortar factories.

The US-16x08 IS one of the latest gen audio interfaces from Tascam.
 
The current driver version is v2.11. Tascam have just finished updating the US-NxN drivers for Win10 Fall Creator's Update (1709). I have had zero driver problems since v1.04. The v2 update added the mixing driver (not ASIO), which I don't use, but also added the ability to hard bypass the internal mixer and to disconnect the DAW audio return from feeding the mains. Nice!
 
Concerning the longevity of Tascam, I'm not concerned for them. Tascam are a major Japanese hardware manufacturer. They're not going anywhere, other than perhaps being sold. But there's no way Gibson will just shut them down like they did CW.
 
The latest US-NxN drivers are on the Japanese website. The US site is behind the times. Here are both links.
 
https://tascam.jp/int/product/us-16x08/download
 
http://tascam.com/product/us-16x08/downloads/
 
I was actually in the market for the US-4x4, but it didn't go on sale during the time I needed to replace my PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL. I got really lucky when the US-16x08 went on a Musician's Friend SDotD for $200.
 
Some things I like about it:
 
1) 8 mic pres; very clean
2) 2 line/instrument inputs on the front (I use In9 for guitars and In10 for basses)
3) defaults to 8 mic pres through to 8 line outs when no USB present (future-proof; no driver needed)
4) the side brackets that replace the rackmount ears (angles the front up off my desk; most excellent!)
 
A couple of things to consider:
 
1) only one headphone out (it's a good one, though)
2) phantom power is only switchable in groups of 4 (In1-In4 and In5-In8)
 
Good luck!

LOVE my 16x08 and yes it is a US - series device. I haven't had any issues at all with it. The reports of driver instability are all very old and have been fixed long-ago.
 
Best bang-for-the-buck in the interface market IMO.

Thanks all.

Anyone used the ESI?

My 16x08 got replaced by a UMC1820.  I loved it at first.
 
After a few months, it started getting hosed when I would make FX preset changes - 1/2 sec latency until I disabled/re-enabled the interface.  True with multiple DAWs in 8.1x64.  After moving to a new 10x64 machine, the problem persisted. 
 
That's when I discovered the 90 day warranty with $60 assessment fee.
 
The 16x08 is great on paper and in practice until it isn't.  Mine is a stand-alone pre box that's never been used as such.