And now the company has followed up with yet another strong quarter, this time for FY Q3 ended in March.

FORBES: Silicon Graphics: Another Big Quarter Has The Stock Flying

The company has followed a policy of aggressive store expansion with the number of stores increasing from around 1, 300 in 2007 to more than 1, 700 in 2011.

FORBES: Why Lowe's Is One For The Future

But the company has followed a theory that the best way to sow fertile financial ground for the future is to burn through a lot of cash now.

FORBES: Orchid Biosciences Not Yet In The Black

Winkler does not cover ViroLogic but has followed the company's work closely.

FORBES: Pioneering Personalized Medicine

Bloomberg's media interests followed and the company now has more than 15, 000 employees worldwide, according to his biography.

CNN: Mayor Bloomberg's giving to alma mater tops $1 billion

At 28 times the AFFO the company is likely to earn this year, the stock has the highest multiple of all REITs followed by Green Street.

FORBES: The Worst REIT

Handspring, the company behind the Visor personal digital assistant, followed the Cisco model from the start: It has no factories of its own.

FORBES: Ghost cars, ghost brands

"If you hand out memory sticks almost like confetti to companies and ask them to do research for you, then you have to be absolutely certain... that the company concerned has put in practice procedures which will be just as robust as the procedures that I hope the government has followed, " he said.

BBC: Firm 'broke rules' over data loss

Fred Hickey, who has long followed the booms and busts of tech company stocks.

FORBES: Bear Bears vs. Bear Bulls

Sean Gorman, CEO of a mapping company called FortiusOne in Arlington, Virginia has followed similar debates across the country.

NPR: Security Officials Seek to Block Some Online Maps