ARM CEO dampens talk of Apple acquisition, says 'nobody has to buy the company'

Apple buying ARM may not seem like the likeliest of rumors, but talk of an acquisition has been enough to send ARM shares to their highest point since 2002, which has now prompted ARM CEO Warren East to comment on the matter. While he's obviously pleased to see his company's stock doing so well, East says that "common sense tells us that our standard business model is an excellent way for technology companies to gain access to our technology," adding that, "nobody has to buy the company." Of course, saying that nobody has to buy the company doesn't exactly rule out the possibility of an acquisition -- Apple or otherwise -- and, last we checked, ARM's stock was still edging up higher into positive territory, so dampening talk doesn't seem to be dampening investors' interest just yet.