Hey Brian... Thanks for the sweet words. You have always been one of the hardest workers and most sincere guys that I've ever known. Hopefully I'll have the privilege of working with you again one day. Keep in touch, bro. K-

Sorry to hear this Steve. Tom

Well, Coop, Karen, Brian, and everyone, it was a hell of a ride while it lasted. I know we'll all be friends for life and to me that's more important than any job- even one as wacky and wonderful as working on Poser and related projects. I want to thank Cooper publicly for his leadership. He brought a human quality to work and treated everyone as a professional with full authority, ownership, and accountability for their jobs. But for a few tense weeks, I never felt like I was working at Curious, even though I was working harder than I'd ever worked before. Bad leaders can make an easy job seem midieval. Coop made a damned tough job one hell of a lot of fun. Here's to you, Coop! Anthony

ok, I held back the emotions until everyone else jumped in and I started reading the last few posts. Brian, anthony, it was great working with you guys in part in the poser environment, and Cooper and Karen... I think you guys alredy know what your friendship means to me. best in continued efforts to everyone. -Josh

"I have a kind soul that would give you thanks, and knows not how to do it, but with tears" King John, Act v, Sc.7

Bummer. Kate P.S. yer still invited to this summer's BBQ ;-)

Kate, We'll be there! We'll bring the Ripple and gov'ment cheese! ;-) A

Oh we are gonna miss you Steve,I know I will... It was a plwasure working with you,You sure gave me a lots of confidence in my work. Remember, you and Karen are still very welcome here in Sweden...We have spaces enough to recieve here! I wish you all the best to come, only beautiful things... Enjoy life! Hugs from Mychelle-Anne!

...there's also a welcome in the hillsides here in Wales and doubtless a huge Welsh Development Agency grant too. Worth thinking about. (I still say the dynamic hair collision works fine...)

Gosh, this is so sad but not surprising, when life hands you a lemon (which always seems to be the case for many) you make lemonade....so to speak....Mike and I have been where you are Steve, this is just a very hard part of life, but choices and changes have to be made so you can survive.... we will truley miss you and your staff, you are not only a company, but you are our friends and as you can see from all the posts, we do stand by you and will always wish you and your team the best. Mike and Sharen SAMS3D (the little guys)

Well - what can one say? One is tempted to search the mind for literary quotes in an attempt at looking stylish AND getting over, with comfortable ease, the degree to which this situation saddens the heart:- "Oh Pooh!" Best of luck guys - all of you.

Well it is a very sad day now...I just got here and the first thing I hear is that things have gone seriously wrong at CL and dang if it isnt right...CKing gosh darn wigginsnappin fargonin darasnorting Well I know you guys will be in high demand and I wouldnt be to surprized if we dont possibly see you on the Daz team,which really would make me happier then a goat munching on my Aunts favorite straw hat...But now I know why I never got a call from you Kupa which I understand now why you couldnt and all,but now this really makes me wonder How many people are going to get screwed by CL who more then likely dont give a crap about us Buyers who have been here striding to help make poser what it is today and what it could be in the future,For them to get rid of the People who probably cared most about the program is just another step in the Corporate America BS and I for one am really teed that I as a Win98SE user was MISLEAD into thinking that Poser5 would work perfectly on my machine which runs all other CPU intensive 3D software with no problems and of course Kupa you have been following the threads in the SR2. beta forum so you know...I wish you and yours many happy and joyous days ahead...STEVE take the family on a vacation get away for a few days an just relax....

Everytime we launch Poser and give shape to our dreams, we can be grateful for all the years of dedication, inspiration, and incredible hard work from you, Larry, et al. All my best for happiness, adventure - and great success with new challenges. All of our paths will surely cross again - Elisa/gryffnn

Steve: What they said. ;-) Sorry to hear you're leaving. And just another word of encouragement ... I'm sure this was an extremely difficult decision, all of the personal ramifications of which are still yet to be felt. HOWEVER, have faith that it will all work out for the better. With your creativity, leadership, and drive I'm sure you can make just about anything happen. When I lost my job at NASA I thought it was the end of the world. I decided I was never going to work for someone again and be in that position. Years later I own my own prosperous holography company. It has grown by leaps and bounds every year ... losing the job at NASA turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm confident you will have even better days than those at CL on the horizon. Best of luck to you! -Tim

We are forced against our will into exsistance... we are forced against our will to be born......... and we are forced against our will to die... I realy hate to see this happen. Best of luck and gods speed to you Kupa!

I'm very sorry to hear these news. I'm kind of new to the community and was really impressed with the idea of Poser 5 and all the tools it included for character creation. I have been very enthusiastic about Poser 5 and have been posting and beta testing a lot in the Poser Beta forum. To me Larry, Kupa & Brian have been the voices of hope keeping my faith in Poser 5, when those voices started to fell into silence I started to feel abandoned and desperate since I'm one of the people having lots of troubles getting Poser 5 not to crash. The news that Steve and Larry are not the force driving Poser 5 are really troublesome, I only hope somehow story can repeat itself and we can get a new home for Poser that has them onboard. Good luck. SimonWM

Steve, Thanks for nothing. I'd bail out now too.

Good Luck with whatever is just round the corner for you Steve, actually I say that to everyone who has left CL recently. It's really not going to be the same without you all, just don't stay away for too long, the welcome mat is always out :)

Karen, Coop - I don't know what to say about this. But I do know what I can say about all the time before - the time since I first shook Steve's hand in Tingen and the time I first talked to Karen on the phone, the day before I came to SC: Thank you. You made a difference in my life. The five months I spent in Santa Cruz were the most enjoyable time of my life, and you played a big role in it. You made me feel at home - instantly. I will never forget the parties at your house, the long-working nights with Coop sitting in the office until I don't know when or talking to Karen and Helyn almost every morning before work. I miss you. Hope to see you soon. Stefan

Wow...this is a sad day for all of us. Best of luck Steve and Karen. I wish you well in everything that you do, and hope that we'll still see you around here. You've done so much for all of us, it's just so hard to imagine you not being a part of this. I think this is really gonna take some time to sink in.

Steve, Ever since the early days of Poser 3, and you took time out to personally respond to me on the MC mailing list, I've always thought of Poser as "Steve Cooper's Poser". The way you treated a virtual stranger like an ol' buddy shooting the sh!t over a couple of beers, is a testament to the quality of person you are. Looking beyond the bad news, I'm sure you'll come out the other side of this, back on top of it all. Prayers and best wishes for you. Don't make a stranger of yerself. K?

Sad to see you go man, look after yourself, happy landings! later jb

You and Larry and the rest of the team ARE Poser to most people in Poser-land, Kupa. You've given a lot of us a lot of good times with that app !!! All the best, and don't disappoint me when I suspect that you have interesting things up your sleeve ;o)

My very best wishes for your future. To me Poser, CL and Kupa belonged together. So sad to see you go :-( Friederike

a time to be born and a time to die a time to laugh a time to weep a time to sow a time to rend a time to build up a time to destroy a time to sow and a time to reap a time to kill a time to live a time to cast off and a time to gather

Kupa, I wish you all the best for your future, I know this must be a hard time for you, and that your choice to leave Curious Labs was diffecult. I hope that you find all the best in your future endevours and that you do stay a part of the Poser community (would love to see your art after all :P) Do you get a gold poser mannequin by the way for long service? :) Seriously - you have been a driving force for Poser, and your leaving does leave me with a little worry that my original fears of Curious Lab's ultimate foreclosure isn't as far fetched as others were telling me. I do hope that for the Poser community that those who are left are in fact going to be as strongly committed to the software as you were and do not soil the work you put into this community and program. Until I next see you around... Yours WiNC Tracey-Anne Reeve

This is a sad news indeed. I wish you all the best for the future. We all owe you something and you won't be forgotten. Best wishes to you and your wife. Au revoir, mais pas adieu. Compiler :-(

Best of luck on your next endeavor, Steve! You were real kind to me when I was publishing a comic book with art done in Poser and Bryce back in the Meta-days, and I really appreciate all you did to keep Poser alive and thriving. I use the software everyday, and it just wouldn't be the same without your name on the opening screen. Don't know what the future holds for Poser, but I hope to still see involved! -Jeff Whiting Tempus Fugit www.brickhousedigital.com

I am at a loss for words. I can't ever thank you enough for all that you and your team have done for my school's fledgling computer graphics and animation program. Without Poser to bring a child's imagination to life - well, if you ever doubted, all you have to do is replay the student project CD. I'll have a new one this coming June for you. Please send me your new mailing address after the dust clears. You will always be remembered for your support and generosity. Best wishes to you, Karen and all of your team. -scara

Hi Steve and Karen. I am really really sorry to hear this. I tried to ring Steve this morning and his number had been changed so I knew something must be up. I just have to say that people like Steve and Karen are very rare in the larger world of software corporations where it is basically impersonal and most friendships/partnerships are in the name of business and profit only. Steve was not like this, he gave CLabs an invaluable personal touch and that is simply not replaceable, CLabs will NOT BE THE SAME!! Many of the businesses related to Poser (websites etc...) suffer from this money orientated impersonalism, so the very fact that Steve and Karen were involved in CLabs and kept a real personal and genuine touch to all their dealings is nothing short of remarkable. I am very very sad to hear this!! Best Wishes Harvey Mann

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8-(

Awww geeze that so sucks. Poser was the first piece of software that I actually paid for outa my own pocket. Seems like a million years ago. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next Kupo project. thanx Jon

Good Luck in whatever life brings you. This site, and many more are a living tribute to a program that went beyond itself, and created its own movement. You gave us so much, our loves, our livelihoods, our reason to fight to the bone in our belief that it should continue. I became a Poser artist because it opened up something in me I couldn't find or see in any other art form. I've invested more money and time in this effort, than in anything I've ever done, and because I love it, and you. Long live Poser, and the fine people whos determination and drive caused it to succeed in a manner that was wildly beyond anything we all ever anticipated. We love you. Syyd and Colm Jackson

Good Luck Steve .. but please keep in contact ;-) Andygraph

Bye Kupa and Emaleth, Your work has been well appreciated and loved by many (read millions) and I am sure 2 talented people like you will find work in no time! May the best of luck be with you! Bye, Shademaster

Yo Kupa, It's been a pleasure working with you and the rest of the team. It was awsome working in an environment where I didn't have to "apply filter". I'm just a little bit (a little bit?) crazy and have not fit in well in other working environments. I fit in at Curious like a hand in a glove. The Labs was an awsome place to work under your leadership. You always took things seriously from a business standpoint while keeping it fun and zaney on a daily basis. I never had a boss who was a true friend until I started working with you. I wish all the best for you and my Curious Labs family. Karen: two words - "You Rock" I wish all the best for the two of you in the future. I love you guys and think about you often. All the best, Joe

Joe-Joe, Like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, "And you Scarecrow, I think I'll miss you most of all." Nuf said. Don't be a stranger now, ya hear? ttfn, Miss K.

Hey Steve, thanks for one of the coolest 3D programs out there. God bless, ben

What can I say that has not already been said. Steve and Karen, Thank you so much for giving me the opportunities that you gave me. It is rare to find people in business that think more of their customers than the money that they make. I have seen the meanest post in these forums from people who had no clue what sacrifices you guys made for this program and more so for the people who use it. Both of you are really special people. Your down to earth personal approach made a difference in so many peoples lives. I am confident that great things will come your way. Karma always seems to catch up with you eventually. Again thank you so much for everything, Christian

Hey Coop! I just found out (a bit out of touch). You always end up in something better anyway. Thats what happens to people of great talent. The Poser community is not only a testement to the product but also your passion for it. Good luck ! Talk to ya sometime. Peter "Jasper"

Man, This is really a sad time. Feels like the life of Poser has been suck out. Like many of you. I have know Kupa sense the release of Poser 3. He has always been a great friend. Kupa I wish you the very best and please let us know what you will be doing. Take Care Ringo Monfort