Another AMD exec shown the door

[BigDH01]

Well, looks like they insist on getting rid of the wrong people.

Phil Hester shown the door

I thought it would've been Ruiz himself.

 

[Stoneburner]

Where's Viditor to reassure us AMD is not going to hell ?

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
Where's Viditor to reassure us AMD is not going to hell ?

Probably off buying some shares in nvidia.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
Where's Viditor to reassure us AMD is not going to hell ?

Probably off buying some shares in nvidia.

I'm pretty sure he already does. (or at least he did, last time I saw his portfolio)

 

[nanaki333]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
Where's Viditor to reassure us AMD is not going to hell ?

Probably off buying some shares in nvidia.

yeah, he's probably already bought enough shares of intel.

 

[Martimus]

This stuff is so eerily similar to all the stuff that happened when I worked at Delphi. That didn't turn out so well though ...

 

[v8envy]

I don't know what the problem is. This guy looks to have been in charge of the Phenom product development. Nothing wrong (except cost-wise) with making an example if your message is "Failure will not be rewarded." This could be a pretty decent morale booster, if spun correctly -- it shows that AMD is willing to axe at all levels, not just fire the grunts when the going gets tough.

And FWIW, AMD's chart is looking rather interesting. Volatility indicators show it poised for a large percentage move -- I wouldn't be surprised to see 10% over a day or so. Considering downside moves have been fairly muted even on negative news it's a pretty good chance to make some money on the long side in the 1-3 month timeframe. Any good news re: the company or economy would trigger this. Too bad options premiums are insane (for obvious reasons) or I'd take the gamble on a volatility play for the upcoming Intel & AMD earnings report.

In other words, this looks like the chart of a company with most of the 'bad news' behind it. There isn't much steam left behind a downward trend, so betting on flat or slightly up is not as foolish as it was for the last 6 months.

 

[Oyeve]

AMD Chief Technology Officer Resigns



Friday April 11, 12:48 PM EDT


NEW YORK (AP) ? The chief technology officer and vice president of chip maker Advanced Micro Devices is resigning, the company said Friday.

Phil Hester, 52, joined the company in 2005 after working for IBM Corp. for more than 20 years.

His resignation comes as AMD struggles amid intense competition from Intel Corp.'s and delays in the role out of key products.

AMD shares fell 5 cents to $6.22 in afternoon trading."



Hmmm, 6.22 a share, maybe I should buy some and hopefully AMD will come back. And hopefully they wont kill ATI in the process.

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: Oyeve
Hmmm, 6.22 a share, maybe I should buy some and hopefully AMD will come back. And hopefully they wont kill ATI in the process.

de ja vu?

 

[Idontcare]

This is a non-event. Barely there for 2 years, moved on to greener grass.

I doubt this had anything to do with performance (of AMD or Hester himself). Hester likely just decided he didn't care for the company or the position.

2 years is hardly any stretch of time for a CTO to come and go. A non-event. Had he been there since 1999 or something then you could reasonably attempt to read something bigger into this.

 

[Phynaz]

I disagree. For a C-level exec to leave after less than three years on the job is significant.

I think it's further proof of the rats fleeing the ship.

 

[Peelback79]

Originally posted by: Phynaz
I disagree. For a C-level exec to leave after less than three years on the job is significant.

I think it's further proof of the rats fleeing the ship.

I really hope you're wrong. But hope and reality are two different things, only time will tell.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: Phynaz
I disagree. For a C-level exec to leave after less than three years on the job is significant.

I think it's further proof of the rats fleeing the ship.

But that is often a good thing in the long run. The first rats that leave the sinking ship are often the biggest reasons it was sinking in the first place; at least in my experience. Most of the rats that jumped from Delphi were a big part of why they went bankrupt.

 

[v8envy]

Oh, he was the CTO/VP? The article made it seem like he was more involved with products.

Didn't AMD just hire another CTO from Dell? One that, like, might make a difference in making inroads with big OEMs?

Yeah, mostly a non-event. The guy may be bailing before his career is damaged. As IDC said, only there 2 years. Not enough to matter. If he sticks it out through an implosion his future earnings may be more impacted. Probably just a risk management move.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: BigDH01
Well, looks like they insist on getting rid of the wrong people.

Phil Hester shown the door

I thought it would've been Ruiz himself.

Why would hector fire himself?!
Last I checked (two months ago) he is actually getting a fat raise.

 

[Markfw]

Actually, after 25 years in IT, I have seen a lot come and go. If they are there a long time it means they are happy.

When they leave, its due to a multitude of reasons, from leaving a sinking ship, to getting out before getting fired, to getting a better job elsewhere.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: nanaki333

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
Where's Viditor to reassure us AMD is not going to hell ?

Probably off buying some shares in nvidia.

yeah, he's probably already bought enough shares of intel.

In order...

1. I don't see this as either good or bad. Phil Hester came to AMD because he was developing the Opteron platform with his Newisys company. While all the chips have been under his pervue as CTO, his area of expertise is Enterprise platforms (at IBM he was the head of the enterprise segment as well).
Obviously AMD needs a CTO with a broader focus now, so Phil is moving on...

2. I sold all of my NVDA back in Oct when it spiked. I don't have enough confidence in them at the moment to get back in, but I think the pricing is pretty good right now.

3. I have sold all of my Intel shares, and haven't bought back in. It's not because Intel isn't a good company (they are), it's because I don't see the share price moving very much for quite a long time (if at all). The reason is that in order for Intel to expand, the entire market has to expand...

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: v8envy
Oh, he was the CTO/VP? The article made it seem like he was more involved with products.

Didn't AMD just hire another CTO from Dell? One that, like, might make a difference in making inroads with big OEMs?

Yeah, mostly a non-event. The guy may be bailing before his career is damaged. As IDC said, only there 2 years. Not enough to matter. If he sticks it out through an implosion his future earnings may be more impacted. Probably just a risk management move.

Apparently AMD is much like Texas Instruments in that they have multiple CTO's. (TI had some 6-7 people with the CTO title for a while in '07, all charged with carrying out differing technology tasks)

Per the news on MSNBC during "closing bell" this afternoon the reason AMD has no plans to replace Hester is because AMD still has five (5) other CTO's throughout the company with varying duties and AMD intends to rely on these remaining five CTO's to pick up the work in Hester's absence. Per MSNBC newsperson this info was all per AMD's press release.

Edit: here's a link which talks about the other CTO's in passing...http://www.eetimes.com/news/se...VN?articleID=207200239