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Razer says software, not hardware, is holding back mobile gaming
In between launching a range of outlandish pink products and affordable accessories so far this year, Razer made the surprising move of abandoning its online game store and mobile team. The latter, in particular, is an awkward move after two generations of Razer Phones, while the likes of ASUS, Xiaomi, Nubia and Vivo are capitalizing on the rapidly growing mobile gaming market. Never one to admit defeat, CEO Min-Liang Tan said this was just part of his company's evolving mobile gaming strategy, with its focus shifted to software as the industry transitions to 5G.
GameStop's new CEO is expected to lead a major overhaul
GameStop announced today that it is naming George Sherman as its new chief executive officer. The former head of Verizon retailer Victra has served as an executive at Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy Services, Home Depot and Target. He'll be charged with overseeing a changing business model for the brick and mortar game retailer that has been in financial trouble in recent years.
Intel gives interim CEO Robert Swan the full-time job
Intel has announced that the company's interim CEO now has the job on a full-time basis. Robert "Bob" Swan has been appointed to lead the chipmaker as its seventh CEO. Swan took over on an initially temporary basis seven months ago, but was rubber-stamped by the board today. In a letter sent to all employees, Swan said that he was "honored and humbled" to be named its permanent leader.
ASUS CEO resigns as company shifts mobile focus to power users
Earlier today, ASUS announced that long-time CEO Jerry Shen is stepping down ahead of "a comprehensive corporate transformation" -- part of which involving a new co-CEO structure, as well as a major shift in mobile strategy to focus on gamers and power users. In other words, we'll be seeing more ROG Phones and maybe fewer ZenFones, which is a way to admit defeat in what ASUS chairman Jonney Shih described as a "bloody battlefield" in his interview with Business Next.
Intel CEO resigns over ‘relationship’ with employee
Intel CEO and board member Brian Krzanich will step down from his role at the company, effective immediately. In a statement, Intel said that it had been recently informed of a "past consensual relationship" with a company employee. After an investigation by both internal and external counsel, officials have confirmed that the relationship violated Intel's non-fraternization policy.
Sony CEO Kaz Hirai will step aside on April 1st
We're only a few hours away from Sony's latest quarterly earnings report, but Sony has announced that CEO Kaz Hirai will be replaced as of April 1st. While CFO Kenichiro Yoshida is named as his replacement, Hirai will become Chairman, just as Howard Stringer did when Hirai replaced him in 2012. Hirai will retire as CEO with Sony in a much better state than when he took over, after turning its businesses around under his One Sony strategy. Over the last few years, Sony has cut costs repeatedly, selling its Vaio PC operation, revamping the way it makes and sells TVs and refocusing its mobile business. One incident that marred Hirai's tenure as chief was the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures -- its leader Michael Lynton left about a year ago and the studio is leading in the box office so far for 2018 with Jumanji. When it reports earnings it will likely show huge profits based on the PS4 and the smartphone camera components it sells. Yoshida has proven himself as a key player in the turnaround since becoming CFO in 2013, prioritizing the PlayStation business that has been a visible sign of the company's resurgence. This change comes just after Hirai's successor at PlayStation, Andrew House, also departed the company late last year. Under Yoshida's leadership, Sony will announce a new plan for the future and new management structure on April 1st. In a statement, Hirai said "As the company approaches a crucial juncture, when we will embark on a new mid-range plan, I consider this to be the ideal time to pass the baton of leadership to new management, for the future of Sony and also for myself to embark on a new chapter in my life." According to Yoshida, "My first priority will be to finalize our next mid-range corporate plan starting in April, together with our immediate business plan for the fiscal year 2018, and then move ahead swiftly with implementation."
Hyperloop One co-founder steps down amid sexual harassment claims
Silicon Valley's sexual harassment problem just keeps going. Forbes reports that Shervin Pishevar, founder of Sherpa Capital and Hyperloop (and an early Uber investor), is taking a leave of absence from both companies, just a few days after allegations of sexual harassment from five women were reported by Bloomberg.
Blue Apron co-founder steps down as CEO
Less than a month after an earnings report indicated customers dropped six percent from last year, Blue Apron has a new CEO, as co-founder Matt Salzberg steps down from his role as president and CEO. Former CFO Brad Dickerson will now fill both of those roles and join the company's board of directors where Salzberg will remain as chairman. Blue Apron just completed its initial public offering in June, but its stock price has already dropped from $10 to around $3 and last month it laid off six percent of its employees. The five-year-old company is facing more competition from others in the space like HelloFresh and Plated, while also being squeezed by meal kits from companies like Amazon (which just bought Whole Foods) and Kroger.
Uber has its new CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi
Uber's board of directors (which still includes the previous CEO Travis Kalanick) has made its pick for a new leader official, selecting Dara Khosrowshahi. The former CEO of Expedia, he was reportedly selected over former HP CEO Meg Whitman and former GE CEO Jeff Immelt, who withdrew his name from consideration a few days ago. In a statement, the Uber board said "We're really fortunate to gain a leader with Dara's experience, talent and vision. The Board and the Executive Leadership Team are confident that Dara is the best person to lead Uber into the future building world-class products, transforming cities, and adding value to the lives of drivers and riders around the world while continuously improving our culture and making Uber the best place to work."
Uber picks Expedia chief as its new CEO
Uber's lengthy, sometimes tumultuous search for a new CEO is over. Sources talking to both the New York Times and Recode have learned that the ridesharing company has picked Expedia chief Dara Khosrowshahi as its new leader. The company will only say that its board has voted on a CEO and will reveal the decision "to the employees first," but the reported decision makes sense in light of recent leaks surrounding Uber's choice.
Uber's key CEO candidate backs out at the last minute (updated)
Uber's choice of a replacement CEO just got more problematic. Former GE chief Jeff Immelt has announced that he has "decided not to pursue" Uber's top spot despite reports that he was the leading candidate. Immelt didn't say what prompted the withdrawal, but it's an unusually open declaration given that Uber hadn't publicly discussed that he was in the running. However, sources speaking to Recode suggest that he recently fell out of favor -- and that his departure is coming at a particularly bad time.
Uber favors former GE leader as its next CEO
Ever since Uber ousted CEO Travis Kalanick, there's been one overriding question: just who would be daring enough to replace him and salvage the ridesharing outfit's tattered reputation? At last, an answer is emerging. Recode sources hear that former GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt (above) is the "frontrunner" out of the three candidates to lead Uber out of the darkness. Reportedly, the company's board of directors believes Immelt is the most capable of quickly fixing Uber's toxic culture, including sagging employee morale and abundant legal troubles.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich drops out of Trump council
Intel chief Brian Krzanich condemned hate speech and white supremacy on Twitter following the horrific events in Charlottesville this weekend. For a while, though, it wasn't clear whether he'd continue backing President Trump's American Manufacturing Council. Now, the CEO is making his stance crystal: he announced in a blog post that he's resigning from the council to "call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues..."
Pandora appoints Sling TV's Roger Lynch as CEO
It's been a rough year for Pandora. The service followed its relaunch as an on-demand streaming service by looking to get bought, but soon closed shop in Australia and New Zealand and got sued by PayPal to boot. Finally, CEO Tim Westergren stepped down, leaving the company he co-founded in 2000. But Pandora has found his successor in Roger Lynch, the founding chief executive of Sling TV.
Uber co-founder says Kalanick will not return as CEO
After a series of missteps including a videotaped argument with one of his company's drivers and a scathing written account of Uber's sexist, toxic culture, the company's then-CEO, Travis Kalanick, took a leave of absence, then stepped down from the role. An employee petition to return him to CEO reportedly circulated throughout the company and Kalanick himself allegedly said he was "Steve Jobs-ing it" (a reference to Apple's co-founder leaving and then triumphantly rejoining the company), an email sent Monday morning by co-founder Garrett Camp promises unequivocally that Uber will not hire Kalanick back.
ASUS' Tango-powered ZenFone AR will hit the US in July
We already knew from Google I/O earlier this month that ASUS' ZenFone AR, the second-ever Tango phone (and the first to also support Daydream), was getting close to its official launch, and that it's coming to the US as a Verizon exclusive this summer. Thankfully, we now know when people will actually be able to buy one. Right after ASUS' pre-Computex keynote today, I sat down with CEO Jerry Shen who revealed that this device will finally be launching in Taiwan in mid-June, followed by a US launch as soon as late June or early July.
Tidal burns through its third CEO in two years
Yet another Tidal CEO is out. Jeff Toig, who took over the position from interim CEO Peter Tonstad in 2016, has reportedly left the company. Which means Tidal is now looking for its fourth chief executive in two years.
Ford replaces CEO Mark Fields with self-driving chief
Ford has fired CEO Mark Fields and replaced him with self-driving car chief Jim Hackett, the company announced this morning. The news comes amid turmoil in the company, including a steep 25 percent drop in car sales so far this year and layoffs of 1,400 salaried employees, with possibly more to come. The news confirms a New York Times report from earlier today.
The time for Uber leadership to step down is long overdue
It seems like hardly a week goes by without Uber fending off bad press. If it isn't sexual-harassment stories or driver disputes, it's self-driving car accidents and reports of sleazy business practices. The situation has gotten so bad that employees are leaving in droves; President Jeff Jones left last month, AI Labs director Gary Marcus did as well, and so has VP of Product Ed Baker. Rachel Whetstone, Uber's head of policy and communications for two years, announced this week she was stepping down too. But until CEO and founder Travis Kalanick leaves and Uber changes its "Always be hustlin'" mantra, it's highly unlikely that anything will change.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 30: I Can Change
After surviving The Great AWS Outage of 2017, managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar rejoin host Terrence O'Brien to debate some of the biggest tech stories of the week. First they'll pit YouTube's live TV offering against its competitors, then talk through Twitter's new tools for fighting online harassment. Plus they'll address the latest controversy surrounding Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and discuss whether or not it's time for him to resign. Then they'll turn their attention to Nintendo's Switch, Zelda and where the console still needs to improve. They'll also briefly recount their own history with Nintendo's machines and gaming in general. Plus Terrence threatens to fight Devindra for his Switch
