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DOJ investigation yields fresh evidence against Google, Apple in antitrust lawsuit
Back in 2009, a small controversy began swirling around Google and Apple, amid allegations that the two companies had struck an informal agreement to not poach each other's employees. The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the matter in 2010, but details of the case were only made public for the first time yesterday. TechCrunch was the first to sift through the documents, and has uncovered some ostensibly incriminating evidence against not only Google and Apple, but Pixar, Lucasfilm, Adobe, Intel, and Intuit, as well. According to filings from the US District Court for the Northern District of California, these companies did indeed enter "no poach" agreements with each other, and agreed to refrain from engaging in bidding wars. The documents also suggest that they collectively sought to limit their employees' power to negotiate for higher salaries. Some of the most apparently damning evidence derives from archived e-mails, including one that Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen penned to Steve Jobs in May 2005. In the message, sent under the subject "Recruitment of Apple Employees," Adobe's SVP of human resources explains that "Bruce and Steve Jobs have an agreement that we are not to solicit ANY Apple employees, and vice versa." Pixar's Lori McAdams expressed similar sentiments in an internal e-mail from 2007, writing: "I just got off the phone with Danielle Lambert [of Apple], and we agreed that effective now, we'll follow a Gentleman's agreement with Apple that is similar to our Lucasfilm agreement." This would suggest, as the DOJ writes, that there's "strong evidence that the companies knew about the other express agreements, patterned their own agreements off of them, and operated them concurrently with the others to accomplish the same objective." The DOJ announced in September that it had reached settlements with the six implicated firms, but a class-action lawsuit is scheduled to get underway next week in San Jose.
HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives'
Bill Veghte was already having his checks cut by HP (after cutting ties with Microsoft), but now he'll be filling a slightly different corner office. The company today announced that he has been appointed chief strategy officer, but somehow, he'll also have enough time to hold onto his current role as executive vice president of HP Software. We're told that he'll be working with HP's senior business and technology brass in order to innovate in ways that perhaps it hasn't lately, with newly-appointed CEO Meg Whitman saying the following: "Every 10 to 15 years, fundamental shifts occur in the IT industry that redefine how technology is delivered. From mainframes to client/server to the internet, companies that identified the opportunity first and developed the right strategy came out on top. As we move forward, HP intends to stay on top, and I believe Bill has the knowledge and vision to keep us there." Strangely, the release (embedded in full after the break) mentions that Bill will be leading HP's "cloud and webOS open source initiatives," but it fails to elaborate on what exactly those "initiatives" may be.
Adobe's Todd Teresi to lead Apple's iAd unit, fully purge himself of Flash reliance
It had to happen at some point, right? Adobe and Apple -- two names in a similar field -- would inevitably end up hiring someone that worked at the other firm in a past life, and unsurprisingly, the world is up in arms about an acquisition that would go unreported if not for the past drama between the two outfits. As the story goes, Todd Teresi (formerly of Adobe) has been hired to be the new chief of Apple's iAd mobile advertising division, but since the hire hasn't been officially confirmed, it's all based on "sources familiar with the matter." Interestingly, Bloomberg BusinessWeek asserts that the iAd team has been "cutting prices to keep customers from jumping ship to rivals, including Google," noting that the dominance seen in the tablet market isn't exactly translating on the advertising side. Something tells us Apple's got a few bills to lose while experimenting, though.
Apple searching for global channel chief
Apple has apparently hired an executive from HP to handle its IT channel business in the UK, and the company is still searching for a global channel director, according to Channelnomics. Apple hired one Trevor Evans to run things in the UK, who joined the company after resigning from HP while on leave. And the company is reportedly looking under every rock it can to figure out who can run its global IT channel, making sure that all of its various retail outlets and groups have all the right connections they need. Apple's criteria are "stringent," say the reports, so Cupertino wants to make sure it finds the exact right person for the job. Obviously this is an important one -- as great as Apple's retail experience can be, there is a huge opportunity to be had on the back end as well, making sure that sales go smoothly and that sales professionals are well-informed and connected. As Apple's retail business continues to grow around the world, it'll need to make sure whoever steps into the position can handle things well.
Concept art released for Square Enix's UE3 action RPG
Square Enix is hiring for its new Unreal Engine 3-based game, and revealing a bit of information about the project in the process. Most importantly, the hub for the "New Action RPG" jobs features the above artwork, which we don't actually think is Chakan: The Forever Man, even though it totally looks like Chakan: The Forever Man. The jobs seek people with experience on PS3 and Xbox 360 games, which isn't much of a surprise for a UE3-based project. The action planner position also specifies a focus on "combat actions," suggesting an emphasis on the "action" part of this action RPG.
Trion hires executives for overseas operations
Many RIFT and Trion-related comment threads (likely to include this one) are filled with speculation about how the company will fail if it doesn't take its fantasy MMORPG down the free-to-play path trod by many of its competitors. Meanwhile, the company keeps expanding, with the latest batch of good news centering on new hirings for Trion's overseas operations. According to Gamasutra, the firm recently signed Johnathan Goddard as its new head of European PR. Also joining the team is Jeff Pabst as the new European commerce director. Rounding out the trio is new End of Nations brand director Simon Bull. The company recently announced that it had raised a truckload of venture capital and that it may file for an IPO.
Are you the next Massive(ly) Star? Our team is looking for video personalities!
Do you consider yourself a ham in front of the camera? Do you have a personality made for entertaining, without dropping f-bombs every 30 seconds? Then we want you! Our experiments with livestreaming have been successful and popular so far, but there's just so much more we'd like to do with it. That's where you come in. If you're good in front of a camera, know your way around basic video software, can follow directions, and want to be rich become famous play games live on video in front of millions thousands a few Massively fans, we want to hear from you. Follow along after the cut for a complete description of what we want and how to apply.
Want to freelance for Massively? We want you! [Updated]
The thing about game journalism is that it can usually be done from anywhere in the world, but sometimes there are press events that call us out of our pajamas and into large crowds of gamers and developers. Here at Massively, we have staff working from all over the globe -- from Ireland to California to Alabama and many places in between. But that's not enough of a global presence to cover as much as we'd like, so we often miss out on studio tours and special events because we won't accept travel expenses paid from studios. So to help alleviate that problem, we're looking to assemble a team of writers to cover these press events, tours, and conferences from their own backyards. These freelancers wouldn't be regular part-time or full-time staff, but rather would only be called upon for special events local to them. Read on past the cut for complete details on what areas we're looking for and how to apply.
Yahoo data center head Scott Noteboom joins Apple
Apple has picked up the former head of Yahoo's Global Data Center Infrastructure, Scott Noteboom, according to his LinkedIn profile. Noteboom's been with Yahoo since back in 2005, but now lists his job as working at Apple as a "Distinguished Gentleman" (a well-earned title, obviously, though probably unofficial). Noteboom was instrumental in managing multiple data centers while at Yahoo, and he'll likely be doing the same type of work at the Cupertino campus, as Apple moves further up into the iCloud over the next few years. Noteboom's hire is likely a long time coming -- Apple's been steadily building up its resources for these data centers, including the big installation in North Carolina, and bringing on experienced directors like this one will only help as the operation gets even bigger and more important.
Neversoft hiring for FPS, according to job listings
It would seem Neversoft is currently developing a first-person-shooter. The longtime Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Guitar Hero developer is currently recruiting a variety of positions that specify "FPS" in the title. Could the project for which it's hiring be the same "action shooter" we heard about last year? Neversoft's job listings page calls for engineers, designers, artists, network programmers, multiplayer experts, and even a Windows PC platform lead. Since Neversoft is hiring for so many positions, we're inclined to think that this project is still fairly early in development.
LucasArts hiring for FPS, aerial combat, action/adventure games
On top of last month's outed job listing for an open-world RPG, LucasArts is now hiring for a first-person shooter, an aerial combat game and an action/adventure game. GameSpot noticed the listings, which call for a level designer for a FPS title, a senior gameplay engineer for the aerial combat game and a producer for an action/adventure title. LucasArts sure seems busy these days! The aerial combat game seems like a no-brainer -- LucasArts has a stable of Star Wars aerial combat games it could pull from, so that's our guess considering the position emphasizes a familiarity with "space-based shooters." The other two require even more speculation ... and we certainly wouldn't mind seeing another Republic Commando game.
Want to write for Engadget? We're hiring in Tokyo, Japan!
Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay humans to do this stuff. Professional writing experience isn't necessary (though folks with it will get first consideration), but what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, and authority. And being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. So here's what we're after: Tokyo, Japan-based editor: Full-time, based in Tokyo (or nearby), able to work from home and quickly commute to the city for events, meetings, etc. English must be your first language, as that's what you'll be writing for us in. Speaking Japanese isn't a requirement, but it doesn't hurt. To clarify, this is an Engadget US position, but based in Tokyo. This is not a position for our sister site, Engadget Japan. Want to apply? Read on.
MobileNotifier dev snapped up by Apple to work on iOS framework?
We said that MobileNotifier unobtrusive notifications might be the single best reason to jailbreak your iOS device, and it sounds like Apple may agree -- Redmond Pie reports that lead developer Peter Hajas has been spirited away by the Cupertino computer company to work on iOS itself. Hajas wrote that he was taking a break from MobileNotifier, and some newfangled detective work dug up the rest -- a thinly-veiled reference to Steve Jobs, a tweet mentioning a California "fruit" company, and finally an alleged screenshot of Hajas' entry in Apple's employee database. We're feeling slightly bittersweet about the whole thing, to tell the truth, as while we'd rather not have to smash our iPhone chains, the notion that this is all happening now suggests we won't see greatly improved notifications in iOS 5, come Monday. [Thanks, Jeff]
Zynga hires team behind cocos2d
Zynga has picked up yet another relatively big-name iOS developer. After acquiring Wonderland, Area/Code and Newtoy earlier this year, the social gaming giant has now acquired the team behind the iOS physics engine cocos2d. That engine is used by all kinds of developers, and while Zynga has hired Ricardo Quesada and Rolando Abarca on as developers to use the engine with its own iOS titles, all indications are that the cocos2d community will remain open and available to all, just as the core engine code will stay open source. Zynga continues to build one heck of an iOS development division. What exactly are they building? That's still a mystery, though presumably Zynga will use its leverage in the social gaming space to push more ports of its popular games and a few new titles as well. We'll have to see what comes of this development, even while it's hard to believe Zynga's buyout spree isn't quite over yet.
Visceral Montreal studio staffing up for Army of Two, Dead Space franchises
A series of job openings in EA Montreal's Visceral Games division point unsurprisingly to ongoing projects associated with the studio's homegrown Army of Two franchise, as well as for Dead Space. Positions for a senior producer, art director and lead environmental artist for Army of Two have been posted on the EA jobs site, in addition to a number of non-franchise-specific roles. Also of note, the studio is looking for a senior development director for the Dead Space franchise, in addition to a lead writer (in English) and senior AI programmer for a "new action adventure IP." The EA Montreal location includes Visceral Games Montreal, EA Mobile, BioWare Montreal and other groups. The now Visceral-branded studio is best known for its pair of Army of Two games, which have sold millions -- fist bump! -- despite mixed critical reception. Additionally, the Montreal studio collaborated with EA's Redwood Shores outfit to develop Dead Space 2. While EA has made no official statement about new iterations of these franchises, we clearly haven't seen the last of them. And you can put your bro on that!
LFM: Massively is hiring!
Are you passionate about every single MMO you can get your hands on? Do you have a particular skill with the written word? We're looking to expand our ranks with a fresh MMO-loving writer, so if you answered yes to both of those questions, we want to hear from you. Please read this entire post before submitting any kind of application. I know it's long, but to do this job, you need to be able to read and follow instructions. Proving that you can starts right now.
webOS VP flies the coop, joins Numenta as marketing guru for imminent product launch
You probably don't know who Joe Hayashi is -- well, unless you skimmed his bio immediately above -- but he just departed one company that you might care about, and went to another one. Hayashi was VP of webOS product development at Palm / HP, and now he's become the VP of marketing at Numenta, also known as the place where Palm's founder (and two former CEOs) decided to stay after the Folio tanked. Numenta's kept fairly quiet during its six years of operation, except to describe a concept called "hierarchical temporary memory" which could lead to a form of artificial intelligence based on human learning schemes, but we imagine if it needs a marketing guy, the company's about ready to actually create something. For its part, Numenta agrees -- it's publicly stated that we'll see the technology in some sort of product later this year.
Rare appoints former Colin McRae, Sonic Racing dev as studio director
Rare has hired Craig Duncan to take on the senior studio director role. Duncan will oversee all product development and staff management at the UK-based developer, part of Microsoft Game Studios. Duncan comes to Rare with experience in product development at Codemasters, Midway Games and Sumo Digital. His credits include the Colin McRae Rally series and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (pictured). Duncan's appointment at Rare follows last month's report that the studio was replacing its full-time art staff with contract workers. Rare is rumored to be working on a sequel to the "breakout hit" Kinect Sports -- perhaps with a racing minigame, now?
Want to write for Engadget? We're hiring mobile, classic, European and reviews editors!
Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay humans to do this stuff. Professional writing experience isn't necessary (though it doesn't hurt), but what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, and authority. And being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. So here's what we're after: Senior mobile editor - Full-time (salary or freelance), must be based in New York City (or nearby). HD / classic editor - Part or full-time (freelance), must be based in New York City (or nearby). Reviews editor (laptops, mobiles, etc.) - Full-time (freelance), must be based in New York City or the San Francisco area. European editor - Full-time, preferably based in London (or nearby). Want to apply? Read on.
Microsoft's Ventura could be a cloud music / video platform, have something to do with Zune
Zune hasn't gotten much love from Microsoft as of late, but that might change over time -- ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley noticed that the company is staffing up for a cloud-based multimedia project (by a group known as "Ventura Media Services") directed at PCs, TVs and mobile devices. "The team is a tight group of music and video lovers that create services and experiences revolving around music/video discovery and consumption," read a series of job postings that date back at least as far as July of 2010, calling for software developers in Beijing and Redmond who are familiar with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. (Two of them have "Zune" in the job title.) While it's hard to say if this project is a major focus for Microsoft no matter how often the job posting says "large scale" (we count four times) it'd definitely be nice to have some competition for Google and Apple when they start drawing the multimedia-streaming battle lines. [Thanks, zblack]
