Did you know that $LITE and $VIAV were originally the exact same company? Today, $LITE is an independent corporation that develops optical components and lasers for data centers and artificial intelligence applications. However, before August 2015, the company did not exist on the stock market. It was part of a larger telecommunications conglomerate named JDS Uniphase (JDSU), which employed around 5,000 people globally. Wall Street investors pressured the management of JDS Uniphase to split the operation. The financial market preferred distinct companies focused on a single industry over a consolidated conglomerate that managed both hardware manufacturing and software testing. On August 1, 2015, the board finalized the division of the business into two independent entities: $LITE was formed by separating the optical components and commercial laser division. The new company started with 1,550 employees and an initial market capitalization of less than one billion dollars. $VIAV became the new name for the remaining core business of JDS Uniphase, keeping the network testing and software enablement divisions along with approximately 3,300 employees. Through this corporate action, the original joint operation was eliminated. $LITE took over the physical hardware manufacturing, while $VIAV retained the test and measurement infrastructure. Both companies now operate as separate publicly traded entities on the Nasdaq.