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FCC Chairman wants to ban caller ID spoofing for text messages
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is advancing the war against robocalls. Today, he proposed adopting rules that would ban caller ID spoofing of text messages and robocalls originating outside of the US. More than 40 state attorney generals have urged the FCC to adopt the new rules, and the Commission is scheduled to vote on them at its August 1st meeting.
Sony chairman and former CEO Kaz Hirai is retiring
Chairman Kazuo Hirai, who guided Sony through some difficult times over the last five years, has announced his retirement from the company. "Kaz" was appointed CEO and president of Sony back in 2012, shortly after it lost $6.4 billion in 2011. After slashing costs and refocusing the business on gaming and imaging, he brought Sony back to profitability, with the company earning $6.7 billion in fiscal 2017. Hirai stepped down from his CEO role shortly afterwards, handing the reins to CFO Kenichiro Yoshida.
Samsung leader will be indicted for bribery and embezzlement
Following his arrest, Samsung Vice-Chairman Lee Jae-yong will be indicted on charges of bribery, embezzlement and two other crimes, according to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. It's the start of legal proceedings that could put Lee in jail for years, stalling a planned succession due to his father's heart attack and hospitalization. Four other executives were charged, including Corporate Strategy Office Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung and President Chang Choong-ki.
President Obama nominates Tom Wheeler as next FCC Chairman
Not that there was much doubt after yesterday, but President Obama has just officially nominated Tom Wheeler to be the next Chairman of the FCC. In a statement, outgoing Chairman Julius Genachowski says that he has known Wheeler personally and professionally for almost 20 years, and says that with his "deep policy expertise and his first-hand experience as a technology investor, he is a superb choice to advance the FCC's mission of promoting innovation, investment, competition, and consumer protection." Much of that experience comes from Wheeler's role as a venture capitalist and lobbyist, which has up until now included spots on the boards of companies like Roundbox, UpdateLogic, Twisted Pair Solutions, EarthLink and TNS -- plus previous tenures at both the NCTA and CTIA. He's also been publicly commenting on a range of issues on his Mobile Musings blog, which saw its last entry in December of last year. As expected, current FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as interim Chair pending Wheeler's confirmation.
Sony Chairman Howard Stringer to retire in June
After handing over the CEO reins of Sony to Kaz Hirai last year, current chairman Sir Howard Stringer is set to retire from his post this June at the firm's shareholder meeting, reports the Financial Times. According to the outlet, Stringer mentioned at a Japan Society lecture that the transition will let him pursue "new opportunities I've been presented with lately." Stringer didn't divulge what those opportunities are, but we're sure he'll have more time on his hands to play with a certain game console.
Samsung courts nepotism again, appoints chief's son Jay Y. Lee to vice chairman
Though Samsung is ostensibly a public company, it has been run more like a fiefdom in terms of leadership, having been founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chull who passed the reins on to current chairman Lee Kun-hee 25 years ago last week. Now, his 44-year-old son, Jay Y. Lee, has been appointed vice chairman, paving the way for another likely family succession to the top of the $195 billion Korean electronics giant. The scion is already the chief operating officer and president of Samsung and the new role will "build on his existing responsibilities and (let him) take a broader role in managing Samsung Electronics' business," according to the company. That may fly in the face of the Korea's political climate right now, according to Reuters, where the country's chaebol's are under pressure to reform amid an ever-widening wealth gap. Though Lee is reported to be lacking in the kind of business star-power that his father exudes, nowadays the job might require more of a keen legal mind than anything else.
Ouya names Roy Bahat chairman of the board, hires leadership staff
Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman announced Roy Bahat as chairman of the board Friday. Bahat served as president of IGN Entertainment for five years before joining Ouya.Uhrman also revealed that Steve Chamberlin will lead Ouya's engineering division while Raffi Bagdasarian is in charge of the software side of operations, including services for developers and user experience. Chamberlin previously was Senior Development Director for Trion Worlds, developers of Rift. Bagdasarian spent over five years working with Sony on its Crackle streaming service.Uhrman added that "over a thousand" game developers have been in contact with Ouya since its Kickstarter campaign ended in August, and that more than 50 distributors have applied to carry the system when it launches.
Olympus to settle with ex-chief exec over misconduct, may involve mountains of cash
As Olympus' recent accounting scandal finally begins to wind down, the guy who blew the whistle on the financial wrongdoings might actually be the one to make out like a bandit. Michael Woodford, former chief executive of the company, has settled out of court with his former employer over his unfair dismissal that occurred just two weeks after his appointment. The settlement still has to be approved by the mostly new board (read: the other guys got arrested), but the Financial Times speculates that it'll result in £10 million ($15.5 million) being awarded to Woodford, or what's left on his contract. Company stock prices are around half of what they stood at before the scandal. Suddenly all those Facebook shares you jumped on don't look so bad.
Olympus board announces chairman and president picks, resigns
Olympus's entire board handed in its resignation this week, but not before picking a new president and chairman to head up the scandal plagued imaging company. Hiroyuki Sasa, from its medical equipment marketing arm, has been named for the president spot, and Yasuyuki Kimoto, who served as an executive for the Olympus-connected Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., has been picked for role of chairman. Both appointments are pending shareholder approval. Sasa, for his part, stated the importance of getting consumers back on board with the company in light recent controversies, telling the press, "My duty is to win back as soon as possible the trust from everyone and repair this damaged brand."
Sony's Kaz Hirai to step up as president as early as April (updated)
Nikkei is reporting that Sony will be promoting current Executive Deputy President Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai to president as soon as April, while Howard Stringer is expected to remain chairman and CEO of the company. As you may recall, Sony started its search for a new president as far back as November 2010, and with Kaz's two promotions last year (to Executive Deputy President in April and to Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman in September), it isn't surprising that he's the chosen one to pick up some of Sir Howard's work. It'll be a while before we see the consequences of this promotion, and anything can happen between now and the board meeting as early as next month to seal the deal; but here's hoping that under Kaz, Sony will go easy on all these new memory card formats while it further unifies its various groups within the corporation. Update: Bloomberg has received a brief statement from Sony clarifying that the board has not yet made a decision on this promotion, which isn't really a denial of the plan considering the final board meeting has yet to take place.
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.
Verizon confirms CEO Lowell McAdam will succeed Ivan Seidenberg as Chairman
It certainly doesn't come as the biggest of surprises, but Verizon confirmed today that its current CEO, Lowell McAdam, will succeed its former CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, as Chairman when the latter retires on December 31st. McAdam, as you may recall, took over as CEO when Seidenberg stepped down from the position in July of this year, with Seidenberg remaining on as Chairman at that point to aid in the transition, which has apparently gone just as planned. In related news, the carrier also announced today that Melanie L. Healey of Proctor & Gamble will be immediately joining the board, which will stand at twelve members following Seidenberg's departure. Head on past the break for the official press release.
Apple announces changes to its board: Arthur D. Levinson named Chairman, Robert Iger joins
Apple has just announced some changes to its board of directors, including the appointment of a new non-executive chairman: Arthur D. Levinson. Currently Chairman of Genentech Inc., Levinson has been a co-director of Apple's board since 2005, having first joined the board in 2000. He'll be welcoming new board member Robert A. Iger, who you may know as the President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Levinson "has made enormous contributions to Apple since he joined the board in 2000," and that his "insight and leadership are incredibly valuable to Apple, our employees and our shareholders." On Iger, Cook said: "Bob and I have gotten to know one another very well over the past few years and on behalf of the entire board, we think he is going to make an extraordinary addition to our already very strong board," further noting that "his strategic vision for Disney is based on three fundamentals: generating the best creative content possible, fostering innovation and utilizing the latest technology, and expanding into new markets around the world which makes him a great fit for Apple." The official press release is after the break.
Robert Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, dies at age 89
We're very sorry to report that Robert W. Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, died this week in Chicago at the age of 89. Over the course of his nearly three-decade tenure at the helm, Galvin oversaw Motorola's transformation from a mid-level radio and walkie talkie manufacturer into one of the world's leading electronics makers. In the process, he cemented his legacy as one of the industry's most forward-looking executives. The Marshfield, Wisconsin native first joined the company as a stockroom apprentice in 1940, and would go on to spend his entire career there (save for a tour of duty in World War II). He was named chairman and chief executive in 1959, following the death of his father and company founder Paul Galvin. Under the younger Galvin's stewardship, Motorola expanded the depth and breadth of its operations, moving into emerging markets and focusing much of its efforts on the burgeoning cellular industry. Galvin spearheaded this transition, which saw Motorola introduce the first commercial cellphone in 1973, and the first cellphone network in the early 1980s. When he first took control, Motorola's annual sales stood at around $290 million. By the time he retired as chairman in 1990, however, that figure had ballooned to $10.8 billion. Galvin went on to serve on the company's board of directors until 2001 and, though he may have departed, his impact certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. "We will continue to honor Bob Galvin's legacy here at Motorola Mobility," said current chairman and CEO Sanjay Jha. "He was committed to innovation, and was responsible for guiding Motorola through the creation of the global cellular telephone industry." Robert "Bob" Galvin is survived by his wife of 67 years, four children, 13 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Caption Contest: HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang drops by Apple's Palo Alto Store
So what if Apple might be suing your company for millions and billions of dollars? You're Cher Wang and Cher Wang shops wherever she damn well pleases. HTC's co-founder and Chairwoman was recently photographed taking a leisurely gander at Apple's wares, with husband Wen-Chi Chen -- who just happens to be CEO of VIA Technologies -- tagging along as well. The Palo Alto Geniuses look to have been their usual friendly selves, though their failure to put an iPhone in Mrs. Wang's hands qualifies as a major missed opportunity in our eyes. Thomas: "In Taiwan, iPhone means horse." Josh F.: "Go ahead, cuff me if you can." Dana: "A stylus! You know. You hold it like this." Vlad: "Cher Wang thought impersonating a zombie would help her blend in with the Apple Store patrons. As we can tell from the unperturbed employees, she was right." Brad: "If you can guess which hand the candy's in, you win!" Terrence: "...and this is my trusty servant Patsy." Amar: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wang, we're all out of dirtbikes."
Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila to step down next year, complete exodus of old guard
Anssi Vanjoki, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Symbian, and Qt are all either already departed or on their way out of Nokia. It's of little surprise, therefore, to hear that the company's Chairman, Jorma Ollila, will soon be following in their footsteps and clocking out of the Espoo office for the final time. Ollila has been a member of Nokia's Board of Directors since 1995 and in his present position since 1999, however the recent change in direction and leadership at the company has clearly made it unfeasible for him to continue as Chairman. He's expected to step down at some point next year, with Nokia now commencing the search for his replacement.
LTE iPhone noise builds steam with a grain of Wang
Has it got the fourgees? Well, if you're talking about Apple's iPhone and believe what you hear from China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou, it very soon will. Following in the well publicized footsteps of Verizon CEO Dan Mead, Mr. Jianzhou tells us that Steve Jobs himself "has expressed his interest in an LTE iPhone and is willing to start the development at an early date." Of course, the crux of the issue will be in ascertaining how early "an early date" might be, but it's not completely out of the realm of reason to believe that Apple may already be cranking away on an LTE-capable iPhone 5. We all know how much Steve loves to compare measurements with the competition and the iPhone's lack of a fourth G will probably be driving him mad by the time the summer rolls around. Either way, we've now got two extremely senior dudes claiming LTE is on Apple's roadmap.
Nokia chairman wanted Vanjoki for CEO, American investors forced him to pick Elop? (update: Nokia says it's false)
We love us some corporate intrigue, and there's some intrigue of the highest order coming out of Finland today: local rag Kauppalehti claims that Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila had wanted the outspoken Anssi Vanjoki to step up, but was instead forced to endorse Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo's successor to lead the embattled company by a team of American investors who demanded a CEO from the left side of the Atlantic. How "forced," exactly? Ollila was allegedly in line to be ousted if he didn't throw his weight behind Elop, which -- as IntoMobile points out -- is a bit odd considering that Ollila himself is leaving next year. All told, something seems fishy here; it's possible that Ollila is simply trying to save face with Finns (and / or Vanjoki himself) as he prepares to leave Nokia... or it's possible that hordes of vicious Americans with skin in the game collectively tightened the vice grips. Either way, Elop seems to be cleaning house in light of the Symbian move, so it'll be interesting to see whether he can steer the ship back on course here in 2011. Update: We've just received a statement from a Nokia spokesperson that basically calls the story a total fabrication: "The story is totally unfounded speculation. There were three candidates for Nokia CEO position in the final selection and Stephen was chosen on merit without any external interference. We are very disappointed that this story was published just prior to the financial results." So there you have it -- three candidates, Elop won, so says Nokia.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: IBM's Palmisano says HP 'used to be' an inventive company
The finest putdowns are usually the simplest. To wit, check out IBM's Chief Executive Trashtalker, Samuel Palmisano, whose elegant use of the past tense relegates HP's current status to that of a mere has-been innovator. Now, says Sam, HP is forced to acquire new companies just to keep up, thanks in part to Mark Hurd's slashing of investment in research and development. Speaking of Hurd, Palmisano also thinks HP failed its investors by handing him a fat severance package as he promptly jumped ship to Larry Ellison's Oracle loveboat. Another reason why Palmisano isn't worried about HP is that he sees the PC era as already over, describing IBM's sale of its PC business to Lenovo as an act of foresight, and adding that he "couldn't give it away today." Clearly they don't mince their words over at International Business Machines.
Ulysse Nardin reveals $129K Chairman Diamond Edition
Pretty much anything can be made unfathomably expensive by encrusting it with diamonds -- so when you start with an object that's already rather pricey, you're bound to start brushing up against "only for Russian billionaires" territory. Indeed, we'd argue that Ulysse Nardin's new Chairman Diamond Edition fits that bill nicely, coming in at $129,000 for a combination of 18-carat white gold and over 2,000 diamonds with ceramic trim. You might recall that the plain-vanilla Chairman is already an interesting phone, featuring 32GB of storage, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, Android, biometric scanner, and most notably, a watch-like self-winding mechanism around back that supplements the phone's battery power. Of course, when your phone runs into the six figures, we doubt that paying the electric bill to get this thing charged on a nightly basis will be much of an issue.
