Technology News: Boardroom

Bartz Gives Analysts a Little of the Old Soft Shoe
October 29, 2009

With its stock in a three-year funk, Yahoo set out Wednesday to persuade investors that the Internet company's struggles are nearly over. "We have fallen and we really want to get back up," Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz said as she kicked off an all-day meeting with financial analysts.

Levinson Ditches Google Seat to Stay on Apple Board
October 13, 2009

Google said Monday that Arthur Levinson has resigned from the Internet search leader's board, averting a potential showdown with government regulators over his overlapping job as a director for computer and gadget maker Apple. The FTC had been investigating whether Levinson's double duty on the boards of both Google and Apple would lessen competition between the companies as they increasingly collide in the same markets.

Dell Overhauls Boardroom Governance Under SEC Settlement
September 29, 2009

Dell said Monday it will beef up accounting and corporate governance rules as part of a settlement tied to an investigation into its past financial practices. Dell, the world's second largest PC maker behind HP, will also pay $1.75 million in legal fees, according to a settlement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The CIO: Between a Peak and a Valley
September 20, 2009

The combination of the down economy, resetting of IT investment patterns, and the need for agile business processes, along with the arrival of some new technologies, are all combining to force CIOs to reevaluate their plans. What should CIOs make as priorities in the short, medium and long terms? How can they reduce total cost while modernizing and transforming IT?

Intel Execs Make Surprise Exits Amid Restructuring
September 15, 2009

Intel, the world's biggest computer chipmaker, said Monday that Pat Gelsinger, who ran Intel's main division, and Bruce Sewell, Intel's top lawyer, are leaving the company. The departures appeared to catch Intel off guard. Gelsinger was scheduled to give a keynote speech next week at Intel's developer forum in San Francisco but now is headed to data storage company EMC.

Stories and Legends
August 24, 2009

An unfortunate side effect of a celebrity like Steve Jobs getting sick is that a huge number of us are collecting stories to go into articles and books that would mostly show up after he passed. I ran into two new stories I hadn't heard before last week, and one of them was rather juicy and eventually tied into the "iPad."

Sony Ericsson Reshuffles Leadership, Looks to Tighten Product Line
August 17, 2009

Bert Nordberg, a 14-year veteran of telecom system provider Ericsson, has been named president of Sony Ericsson, the firm's joint cellphone venture with the Japanese consumer electronics giant. He'll be succeeding Hideki "Dick" Komiyama, a Sony executive who has led Sony Ericsson since 2007 and is now headed for retirement.

Nortel CEO Makes 'Bittersweet' Departure
August 11, 2009

Nortel Networks CEO Mike Zafirovski is stepping down from the troubled telecommunications company, saying "a natural transition point" has been reached as the company continues to liquidate. The company also announced Monday that its board of directors will be reduced to three from nine, and that its second-quarter losses more than doubled, partly on reorganization costs.

Apple and Google on Brain Vacation
August 10, 2009

Summer is a time to relax, a time to take a vacation, a time to do things you can't do during the work year. However, I'm not sure any time is a good time to send your brain on vacation, and I'm starting to wonder if the leaders at Google and Apple have done just that.

Security, Sanity and Social Networking in the Ranks
August 07, 2009

U.S. military service members who want to keep up with friends and family back home have often turned to social networking Web sites to stay in touch. But the Department of Defense hasn't quite made up its mind whether these kinds of sites are friends or enemies. It definitely loves social networking when it comes to recruiting -- you can follow or friend any and all branches if you're thinking about joining up.

Schmidt or No Schmidt, Apple's Board Doesn't Steer the Ship
August 07, 2009

I find this whole Eric Schmidt-is-a-Google-spy thing terribly amusing, and not because the Fake Steve Jobs is still doing his thing with joyful aplomb. No, the whole situation is funny because Apple's board of directors doesn't direct Apple. Seriously, in the history of corporate boards of directors, can anyone think of a board that is less needed than Apple's?

FTC to Apple, Google Boards: We're Watching
August 04, 2009

If Apple and Google executives thought that Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Monday resignation from Apple's board of directors would end any governmental interest in their business practices, they may have to reboot their plans. The Federal Trade Commission has announced that it had already been looking into the board membership situation among the Silicon Valley tech giants.

Schmidt Decampment Signals Mounting Apple-Google Rivalry
August 03, 2009

Only about five miles separate Apple's Cupertino, Calif., campus from the Googleplex in Mountain View in Northern California's Silicon Valley. Yet the distance between the two tech giants grew a little wider in other ways Monday with the news that Google CEO Eric Schmidt would be stepping down from Apple's board of directors.

The SEC's Hard Look at Apple and Apple's Slow Boat to China
July 15, 2009

Public statements issued by Apple over the past year concerning the health of CEO Steve Jobs may have caught the attention of federal regulators -- the Securities Exchange Commission is rumored to have launched an investigation. What the SEC wants to know is, did Apple mislead investors with its statements? However, that is difficult to prove, and it's counterbalanced by solid company performance.

Tea Parties, Pirate Ships and a Kayak: A Summer at Sea
July 02, 2009

For seven months, a New York Times reporter named David Rohde was held prisoner by Taliban kidnappers. However, you wouldn't learn that from reading The New York Times -- or even Wikipedia, for that matter. In addition to other news organizations, the Times reportedly asked Wikipedia not to publish information on the abduction.

Joost Feels the Squeeze
July 01, 2009

Just three years after launching in a fanfare of publicity, Joost, which provides professionally made TV on the Web, is shifting directions. It will now provide white label online video platforms to media companies and distributors. Joost is closing down its offices in the Netherlands, retaining offices in the U.S. and the UK.