Anyways, welcome (back) to CA. I hope to run into you in Mountain View.
I guess you can start your own company and make it fail however you like.
Look, I hope Ivan is wildly successful in his venture and that this relocation works wonders for everyone. Honest.
But the bottom line is this. When you are the Leader of a company that is taking other people's money... You. Don't. Go. Dark.
Tell your users what is going on. If you have to go dark, let them know how long and setup autoresponders (my mom even knows how to use them & she's 66). If there are any problems, state your plan to rectify them. And if you're really on the ball, have a Plan B, too.
Why would you even say such a thing? Have you made attempts to contact them? If you have, please tell us about it. If this is your first attempt to find out, isn't it too harsh? Trash talking first and apologizing later is not cool. (I am assuming you'll apologize after you find out that there is nothing wrong, a likely scenario)
Isn't there enough strife in the world already?
(the thread is now officially over, btw!)
Ivan is a smart, hard-working guy. I think he will emerge from this experience scarred, but smarter. And I truly wish him all the success in the world -- Honest Injun. (someone will probably get all bent out of shape b/c of that!).
Problem is, you're missing the point. He's not working the grill at In'N'Out. He is the leader of a company that is operating in the financial services sector. And that company is taking other people's money, while making commitments to those people. As the leader, he does not have the luxury of going dark.