Boardroom

Google's Schmidt Pitches Android to Chinese Devs
January 15, 2013

Fresh off his trip to North Korea -- and right behind Apple CEO Tim Cook's trip to China -- Google chairman Eric Schmidt joined a panel discussion at the "Geek Park" conference in Beijing. Schmidt reportedly reminded the developers in attendance that despite Apple's popularity in China -- the iPhone 5 sold more than 2 million units in one weekend -- Android is still the top dog in the Middle Kingdom.

Cook's China Excursion Could Swell Apple's Coffers
January 11, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook has had a busy week in China trying to drum up more business for his company. Cook met with China's minister of industry and information on Tuesday, executives at partner China Unicom on Wednesday, and with Xi Guohua, the CEO of China Mobile -- which has more subscribers than any other carrier in the world -- on Thursday.

Schmidt's Visit May Help Open Up North Korea
January 10, 2013

The visit to North Korea this week by a team led by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has stirred up controversy. The U.S. State Department has criticized the move, while Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has described Richardson and Schmidt as "useful idiots."

Hulu Honcho to Hit the Road
January 07, 2013

Hulu CEO Jason Kilar bid a fond adieu to the company's employees, announcing in a blog post Friday that he and CTO Rich Tom will be leaving at some point during Q1 2013. Kilar made no mention of the reasons for their departures, other than to say, "Rich and I have been fortunate to build and innovate alongside each other these past 5+ years and our plan is to do more of that on the road ahead."

State Dept. in a Snit Over Schmidt's North Korea Trip
January 04, 2013

The U.S. State Department gave a measured but clear rebuke of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's upcoming trip to North Korea. News broke this week that Schmidt will join former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson on a humanitarian mission to the impoverished nation. "We don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

Reports of Tim Cook's Pay Cut Greatly Exaggerated
December 28, 2012

Apple CEO Tim Cook's salary fell by $373.8 million in 2012. Then again, it really didn't. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cook earned $4.2 million in executive compensation in 2012 -- $1.3 million in salary and $2.9 in non-cash compensation. Last year, Cook's compensation was reported as $378 million. Most of it -- $376 million -- was in the form of restricted share units.

Tim Cook Named TIME Person of the Year Runner-Up
December 20, 2012

Apple CEO Tim Cook was named a runner-up in TIME Magazine's Person of the Year listing, after he spent 2012 overseeing significant financial gains and product refreshes in the wake of the death of his company's iconic leader, Steve Jobs. President Obama earned the top honor, but Cook nabbed one of the four runner-up spots.

AOL's Marketing Shuffle May Reflect Brand Uncertainty
December 15, 2012

AOL is shifting toward decentralization of its marketing efforts. The online company this week named Allie Savarino Kline as chief marketing officer of its Advertising.com unit. In the newly created position, she will have global oversight of Advertising.com and will handle marketing strategy for the group's advertising solutions for publishers, advertisers and agencies.

Fur Flies Over Autonomy's Alleged Cooked Books
November 28, 2012

There's apparently little inclination to wait for the legal system to establish who wronged whom with respect to the allegations that Autonomy committed accounting sleight of hand prior to being acquired by HP. Both HP and the erstwhile head of Autonomy are making their claims and counterclaims public. Mike Lynch, founder of Autonomy, came out swinging in an open letter to HP's board of directors.

Exec Shuffle Could Put the Zip Back Into Zynga
November 15, 2012

Zynga's chief financial officer is departing for Facebook, yet another blow to the social game-maker, which has been languishing for months and recently trimmed its 2012 outlook. The departure of CFO Dave Wehner apparently set into motion a number of changes in the company's executive ranks.

Speculation Sizzles Over Sinofsky's Sudden Bolt
November 13, 2012

Microsoft said Monday that Windows and Windows Live President Steven Sinofsky will leave the company. Julie Larson-Green has been promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering, and Tami Reller will assume responsibility for the business of Windows while retaining her role as chief financial officer and chief marketing officer.

Cook Mixes a New Apple Brew
October 31, 2012

While investors no doubt faced uncertainty on Wednesday as the New York stock markets opened after shutting down for two days due to Hurricane Sandy, the uncertainty over Apple's stock was for another reason altogether. News surfaced on Monday that Apple iOS software chief Scott Forstall was forced out after he reportedly refused to sign an apology for the flaws in the Maps app.

Foreigners Gobbling Up American Pie
October 25, 2012

If Sprint Nextel closes its deal with Japan-based Softbank, then more of the good old-fashioned American wireless telephone industry will be subject to foreign control -- three out of the top four wireless carriers in the U.S., in fact, will have their headquarters overseas. Is that a good thing or bad thing? It's all about branding.

Board's Bonus Slight a Wake-up Call for Ballmer: Get Innovating
October 10, 2012

The board of directors at Microsoft did not award company CEO Steve Ballmer and other executives their full bonuses this year following lower-than-expected Windows sales and a failure to comply with European regulations. Ballmer received 91 percent of his base salary in bonus pay, totaling $620,000. Including salary, his total compensation for Microsoft's fiscal year 2012 is $1.32 million.

HP and the Uncertain Science of Corporate Rebirth
October 08, 2012

The technology market is a graveyard of companies that had potential and lost their way either to fail or be gobbled up and lose their identity. Netscape, Novell, DEC/Digital, Palm, Transmeta, ATI, ROLM, Northern Telecom, and FLIP are all names of companies that have left us as independents or completely over time. Most of these firms were high fliers once, but all of them hit hard times.

HP's Whitman: It's Going to Be a Long, Slow Ride
October 04, 2012

HP shareholders counting on Meg Whitman to lead the company into a quick turnaround received very disappointing news from the CEO: Don't hold your breath. Whitman made her comments at HP's annual analyst meeting. The company is on track for a turnaround, she reportedly said -- but it won't materialize until the end of fiscal year 2014.

Mayer Sketches Out Her Vision of a New Yahoo
September 26, 2012

The revolving door at Yahoo continued to turn on Tuesday as the CEO Marissa Mayer announced bold new plans that included bringing in a new CFO, Ken Goldman. Mayer is the latest in a string of chiefs to take turns at the company's helm. Yahoo has had three CEOs and two interim CEOs in just a little more than a year, following the firing of Carol Bartz last September.

VMworld 2012: Passing the Torch - and the Ammunition
September 11, 2012

Chief executive transitions in the IT industry often tend toward melodrama or at least bald quirkiness: The number of ignominious CEO departures at HP and Yahoo could qualify both companies for their own telenovelas. After successfully acquiring Sun Microsystems, Oracle unceremoniously booted CEO Jonathan Swartz, an event he noted by tweeting a Zen-like haiku.

Transmutation in the C Suite
August 29, 2012

My sources tell me that Salesforce.com will be handling its major Dreamforce announcements differently this year. Rather than letting us drink from a firehose at the event, they promise to tell us much of their news beforehand so that they can spend the keynotes, I assume, drilling down into more of the substance of their announcements.

Best Buy, Schulze Lay Out Rules of Engagement
August 28, 2012

Best Buy has reached an agreement with its founder and former chairman, Richard Schulze, who owns a fifth of Best Buy's shares. The accord could help facilitate a potential $8.8 billion buyout of the retailer. As part of the agreement, Schulze will be granted access to certain due diligence information.