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Netgear turns its security cameras into a separate business
Netgear's Arlo security cameras are apparently a hit -- so much so that the company is turning them into a separate business. The router maker has revealed that it's spinning out Arlo as a separate company, with the regulatory paperwork completed in the first half of 2018 and a public stock offering in the second. Senior strategy VP Matthew McRae (who used to be Vizio's chief technical officer) is expected to helm Arlo when all is said and done.
Alibaba spins out Aliyun team with $200 million investment, pep talk
You can imagine that the team building Alibaba's Aliyun mobile OS must have hurt feelings following Google's accusations that Aliyun is just a corruption of Android. Alibaba chief Jack Ma is keen to restore some of that wounded pride, at least on the surface. The CEO has used a since-confirmed staff memo to spin out Aliyun as a separate entity that will "safeguard the healthy growth" of the platform and Alibaba's mobile strategy. It's not solely an instance of tough love, either: Alibaba is putting $200 million into the new firm and will use executive Wang Jian as a link between the two sides, having him serve as the CTO for both companies. With that in mind, Ma's ultimate intentions aren't clear. While the separation may be a sign of a tighter focus on software, it also reduces the impact for Alibaba if anything drags Aliyun down -- and either motivation would be helpful for a company devoted to the web before anything else.
