I didn't read all the posts in this thread, but my two cents:
1. I suspect both Mikes new owners and Specialized had conversations about their future relationship long before the sale was finalized. This idea that Specialized just called them up the next day and severed ties without any warning is nonsense.
2. Do people really say/write "Spesh" as some kind of shorthand for Specialized? Why not Special? Or Spec? Just seems weird.