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Peloton is replacing its CEO and cutting around 2,800 jobs
Peloton is trying stem to its financial struggles by replacing its CEO, overhauling the board and laying off around 20 percent of its corporate workforce
The Road to Mordor: Why LotRO's classes need a shakeup
In a recent post about the Riders of Rohan beta, blogger Doc Holiday wrote a criticism of LotRO's lackluster class development: "Think about it, what have our characters actually gotten since Moria? Outside of revamps (which are always needed as games age and don't really count) there's been almost no progression of our characters outside of gaining morale." For this I have two words in response: hear, hear! I've been thinking about this a lot since last week's imaginary restart scenario and even before. There's a reason that rerolling a character in Lord of the Rings Online has such appeal, even with a mountain of content behind it. It's a character that actually develops noticeably before your eyes, not slugs through content. Today I want to examine why I agree with Holiday about the stagnation of high-level classes and how the devs can shake up the status quo to make character development exciting once more.
HP names Bill Veghte new COO, hands over the keys to HP Software
After successfully piloting HP's software division and, presumably, performing well as the company's chief strategy officer, Bill Veghte is getting a promotion. Effective immediately he'll be taking over as COO of the struggling computer manufacturer and finally handing over the keys to HP Software. As Veghte is forced to give up his executive vice president's position, George Kadifa will be stepping it to take up the charge of leading the non hardware-based part of the business. The move will also mean that Veghte will be working even more closely with CEO Whitman, who expressed confidence in Veghte. The shakeup comes shortly on the heels of a particularly tough financial quarter and the announcement of 27,000 layoffs. Check out the complete PR after the break.
RIM confirms departures of two top BlackBerry, BBM execs
Word of a big exec shakeup at RIM leaked out just ahead of the company's quarterly earnings late last month -- something that was then quickly confirmed in said earnings report. It looks like that wasn't the end of it though, as RIM has now also confirmed the departures of two more high-level executives. That includes Senior Vice President Alan Brenner, who will be leaving after an unspecified transition period, and Alistair Mitchell, a VP for RIM's BBM service who has already left the company. No word on any further departures to come (willing or otherwise), but given Thorsten Heins' talk of a "comprehensive review" it certainly doesn't seem like the most remote of possibilities.
LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja steps down, company remains committed to wireless network
The shakeup continues at LightSquared. Just days after the would-be LTE wholesaler confirmed that it would be cutting its staff by 45 percent, it's now announced that CEO Sanjiv Ahuja has resigned from his position, although he will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Chief network officer Doug Smitand and chief financial officer Marc Montagner will serve as co-chief operating officers as the company searches for a new CEO. What's more, LightSquared has also announced that billionaire backer Philip A. Falcone has been appointed to the company's board of directors, and he himself has reiterated the company's intent to build out its wireless network, noting that it is "committed to working with the appropriate entities to find a solution to the recent regulatory issues." The company's official announcement can be found after the break.
Financial Post report suggests RIM's Balsillie and Lazaridis may be out as chairmen of the board
Nothing is official just yet, but Canada's Financial Post is reporting that RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis may soon be relinquishing their positions as co-chairmen of the company's board. According to the paper's sources, RIM board member and former TSX Group head Barbara Stymeist is the leading candidate to replace the duo. Notably, the report makes no suggestion that there would be any change to Balsillie and Lazaridis' status as co-CEOs, as some have also been pushing for, although it would still be a fairly big change for the company. As the paper notes, Balsillie and Lazaridis have long resisted previous attempts to divide the Chairmen and CEO roles and, if appointed, Stymeist would be the company's first ever independent chair.
Google shutters Slide, founder Max Levchin moves to greener pastures
It's been barely a year since Google acquired Slide for a cool $200 million, but today comes news that the Mountain View crew has decided to dissolve its social apps unit, and that renowned entrepreneur Max Levchin will be leaving the company to "pursue other opportunities." Sources close to the matter told All Things D that the decision was announced at an internal staff meeting yesterday afternoon, and that most of Slide's 100 employees will likely shift over to YouTube. A Google spokesperson later confirmed that the unit will in fact be shuttered, but didn't reveal further details of where the displaced employees will land, saying only that the majority will remain onboard. Google didn't offer a concrete explanation for the decision, though Slide had been acting as a largely autonomous and peripheral branch, and was never fully integrated into the company's larger social team. Its apps, moreover, never really took off, and are due to be phased out over the course of the next few months -- including tools like SuperPoke Pets, Disco and Photovine. And then, of course, there's Levchin -- the man who founded the company just a few years after co-founding PayPal, and who currently serves as Yelp's chairman of the board. His immediate plans remain unclear, though we and the rest of the tech world will certainly be keeping a close eye on him, wherever he lands next.
Acer's Jim Wong named Corporate President, will head new Touch Business Group
The changes just keep on coming at Acer these days -- following a shakeup at the top and a new, friendlier logo, the company has now announced that longtime company exec Jim Wong will be stepping up to the role of Corporate President. What's more, he'll also be heading up Acer's brand new Touch Business Group, which combines the company's former tablet PC and smartphone teams, and promises to help Acer "make significant inroads" in the mobile device business -- or so it hopes, at least. Elsewhere in the company, Acer's traditional PC Global Operations business will be led by the former VP of its handheld business unit, Campbell Kan, while a number of other Acer execs have also been appointed to some new positions, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Head on past the break for the official word from Acer itself.
WSJ: Apple lost confidence in Papermaster months ago, Jobs accepted iPhone 4 antenna risks
We may never know the truth about the ousting of Mark Papermaster, Apple's VP in charge of the iPhone and a direct report to Steve Jobs. However, a report in the Wall Street Journal co-authored by Yukari Iwatani Kane -- widely considered to be Apple's favorite go-to source when it wants to control a story in the press -- is as close as we're likely ever going to get, from Apple's perspective anyway. Citing several anonymous sources familiar with Papermaster's downfall, the WSJ says the following: Mr. Papermaster had lost the confidence of Mr. Jobs months ago and hasn't been part of the decision-making process for some time, these people said. They added that Mr. Papermaster didn't appear to have the type of creative thinking expected at Apple and wasn't used to Apple's corporate culture, where even senior executives are expected to keep on top of the smallest details of their areas of responsibility and often have to handle many tasks directly, as opposed to delegating them. In other words, it wasn't just about the iPhone 4's antenna. In fact, the WSJ claims that Jobs knew about the risks of the antenna design as much as a year ago and it was his decision, not Papermaster's, to move forward with its development. Whatever the real story is, we're sure that Steve, visibly agitated at having to host an antennagate press conference, wasn't too pleased at having stood in front of the media promising an "end of July" ship date for the already delayed white iPhone 4 only to delay it again just a few days later. Straw, meet camel.
Mark Papermaster leaves Apple for reasons and destinations unknown (update)
We're not quite sure chip guru Mark Papermaster ever truly settled into his role as Apple's SVP of Devices Hardware Engineering in the year and four months since he finally walked through the door, but after the recent antenna troubles someone decided that he wasn't going to work there anymore. The New York Times reports that Papermaster has left and Bob Mansfeld (SVP of Mac Engineering) will assume his role. So far, there's been no official statement as to why the departure is occurring, whether he was ousted or left of his own volition (again, though he oversaw the new iPhone, his background is in processor design) but either way, the former SVP's picture and bio have already been removed from Apple's website. The man himself reportedly refused to comment when contacted by the Times, but as with all truths we're sure this one will come out eventually. Update: The ever-resourceful John Gruber says that Papermaster's departure may be more closely related to Apple's antenna troubles than we originally thought:Inside Apple, he's "the guy responsible for the antenna" - that's a quote from a source back on July 23. (Another quote from the same source: "Apparently the antenna guys used to have a big chip on their shoulder. No more.")
Microsoft's Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer
Well, it looks like the rumors were true. Not only is Microsoft's J Allard now officially leaving the company, but so is Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, amid what's described as a broader restructuring that will effectively dissolve the division and give CEO Steve Ballmer more direct oversight of Microsoft's consumer initiatives like Xbox and Windows Phone as of July. Contrary to earlier reports, Allard says that he's not leaving due to the cancellation of the Courier, but instead says that after nineteen years with the company, he simply wants to devote more time to his personal interests, "particularly adventure sports." Allard also insists that he won't be moving on to Apple, Google or any other Microsoft rivals -- in fact, he's staying on as an advisor to Steve Ballmer. Robbie Bach's departure is equally curious -- despite being just 48, his move is being described as a "retirement," and he says that the decision was his own and that he wasn't encouraged to leave. He'll also apparently remain with Microsoft through the fall to aid in the transition. When all's said and done, mobile communications VP Andy Lees and interactive entertainment head Don Mattrick will each separately report to Ballmer -- both have headed their divisions for some time now, so we'd assume that things will otherwise proceed as planned. Still, the loss of talent at the top is certainly noticeable -- we'll see how Microsoft responds now that Ballmer is firmly driving its mobile and gaming efforts. We've got Ballmer's full letter to the company and Microsoft's official PR after the break, so take a peek. Update: Mary Jo Foley has J Allard's parting email to his employees.
WSJ: Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division getting a 'shakeup,' J Allard expected to leave
We were surprised enough to hear tales of J Allard possibly leaving Microsoft, but the Wall Street Journal is painting a bigger picture, saying "the organizational shakeup is broader than Mr. Allard's departure." We're taking that to mean there could be a larger changing of the guard here, particularly since the article is worded somewhat oddly and seems to imply the reshuffling could reach even Entertainment and Devices Division president Robbie Bach. As for Allard, WSJ reaffirms Mary Jo Foley's earlier report that there's a strong correlation between his departure and the Courier's swan song. An announcement pertaining to these moves is said to potentially come as early this week, so stay tuned -- this could be big.
The Guild season 2 finale
Yes, The Guild season 2 finale is out now on MSN Video and Xbox Live, and it's a good one. There's revelations, revenges, an epic battle, and even some spiritual reflection on Vork's part. And it's probably fair to say that after this episode, The Guild will never be the same.That's it for this season, but The Guild isn't going anywhere -- they're planning a live Ustream chat this evening with the cast and crew to talk about the season and the future of the show. This season's episodes should also be "unlocked" from Microsoft soon, so they should be showing up on YouTube as well. We'll be watching, as usual, and we'll bring you news of the third season when we hear it. It's safe to say this season and the big Microsoft experiment turned out to be a big success (despite a few complaints about the exclusivity), so hopefully we'll hear more on what's next soon.Thanks, Savant!
