I think the writing has been on the wall for years now. When Cakewalk was essentially a boutique shop being run by the guys who wrote the code and answered the forum questions and the phones, it was a barely profitable business, but the guys in the shop made a paycheck and loved what they did.
Times were a little different back then. Talent becomes harder to retain when economic realities set in. So, to their credit, the founders made a couple of deals to their benefit. It's just smart business. They have families and responsibilities. Once the company started down that path, the company relied on a market that would expand in users. That hasn't been the case in the music software/equipment/instrument etc segment for awhile and there is no sign of that changing. Just a reality folks.
I look at it like this. I own my own company and I have employees whose success I care about because it directly affects my success. However, if a larger company were to come to me and make me an offer to buy my company that would drastically improve my family's financial situation and reward me for the work I've put into the business,......well show me the money!
While I'd try and secure my current employees positions within the new company, I wouldn't kill a deal over it. And if after selling my business, I'd hope that it succeeded for the new owner. But if not, I got mine. That's just business folks. There isn't any room for sentimentality in a business the size of Gibson. They have shareholders who they have a responsibility to and that is always the overriding concern in every decision they make.
I don't blame Gibson. I don't blame the Bakers or Roland. The reality is the music business has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. The only people making money that aren't performers are streaming services.
You want to blame somebody? Try Apple inc., Napster., Pandora, Youtube, etc.