Founder of est to Sell Assets, ‘Go Fishing’

The founder of est, the multimillion-dollar self-awareness movement, is selling off his empire and probably going fishing, a spokesman said.

Werner Erhard is selling the assets of his company to a group of employees, spokesman Bill Barnes said Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

The holdings include real estate in California and New York, computers, furniture and an 18-year licensing agreement. The agreement covers “technology and intellectual property” used in the weekend est workshops that have been marketed in recent years as “The Forum.”

“I think he is going fishing in the Caribbean,” Barnes said when asked about Erhard’s plans.

The sale “puts the future of the work that I and others started into the hands of people who have dedicated their energy, their heart and their talent to serving the people who have participated in these programs,” Erhard said in a brief statement.

San Francisco-based Werner Erhard & Associates will be renamed Transnational Educational Corp. and will continue to operate the workshops.

“Erhard will have neither an ownership nor a management role in the new company,” Barnes said.

Werner Erhard & Associates reported U.S. revenues of $45 million in 1989.

Erhard founded the est movement in 1971. The philosophy tries to teach people to be honest about their lives and take control of their destinies. The program became widely popular in the 1970s, with a number of celebrities signing on as followers.