Exodus from AMD Continues: COO, SVP Leave the Company.

[cbn]

Hopefully this isn't about Bulldozer.

Maybe this upheaval is more about AMD missing out on opportunities and growing ecosystems? (eg, Nvidia and Google's partnership as Android continues to develop and mature into something beyond a mere handset OS).

 

[waffleironhead]

pre-merger or acquisition removal of redundancy?

 

[bigbillybear]

Bros,

We have to have both groups AMD and Intel pushing each other so we the consumer get the benefits of newer and faster technology and better prices... I hope all goes well for all...

BBB

 

[mizzou]

too big to fail

 

[wuliheron]

AMD survived bankruptcy, bought ATI and made it profitable, and now with bulldozer coming out its spring cleaning time before the busy season starts. The real question is who are they going to be replaced with and can they bring any worthwhile new ideas with them. If not this spring cleaning could last a few years.

 

[bendixG15]

and nvidia in graphics? which is even worse. Hell, intel might start developing discrete graphics to fill the void.

Old news ........Intel to pay NVIDIA $1.5 billion licensing fee
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/...n-licensing-fee/10879?tag=mantle_skin;content

 

[wuliheron]

Intel's graphics drivers suck. If they really want to do anything more then crappy integrated graphics they'll have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[gdansk]

If AMD collapses, which I find highly unlikely considering its upcoming product schedule, I would rather invest all my money into any Intel competitor that comes along. ARM, Nvidia, you name it. Not that I dislike Intel, I'm typing from an Intel powered notebook, but I just don't like the prospect of a single entity controlling all the prices in a non-competitive field. I don't think Intel does either, just imagine what the trade commission would do to them (probably worse than what AMD can do).

 

[Anexate]

Normal business practice if you have an upcoming great product one month or two away is to successfully launch the product and then to say thank you to all the deserving.

Something like this is never done, since it fuels speculation on the stock exchange and that can bury even a good company (imagine the damage to a company already on infusion; like AMD).


Do you remember? year 2007

quote:

"AMD Faces Exodus of Executives Ahead of Major Product Launch.
AMD Loses Executives as Quad-Core Processor Launch Looms
[09/02/2007]

The current financial situation of Advanced Micro Devices is a combination of AMD’s failure to recognize the threat of Intel’s Core micro-architecture back in late 2005, failure to deliver both new micro-architecture as well as quad-core chips on time and ATI’s failures to ensure that the new products and micro-architectures are available on time or ahead of the main rival Nvidia.

Obviously, every manager at both AMD and ATI is partly responsible for the present condition of the company, however, if all of them will step down “because of the personal reasons”, who will work at the company?"

 

[eternalone]

If AMD collapses, which I find highly unlikely considering its upcoming product schedule, I would rather invest all my money into any Intel competitor that comes along. ARM, Nvidia, you name it. Not that I dislike Intel, I'm typing from an Intel powered notebook, but I just don't like the prospect of a single entity controlling all the prices in a non-competitive field. I don't think Intel does either, just imagine what the trade commission would do to them (probably worse than what AMD can do).

We need a chinese CPU to humble Intel. Ive been wondering why the chinese havent thrown a successful cpu into the Desktop market yet, being its already 2011.

 

[Medu]

My guess is that the ATi guys are pushing the company in a new, more aggressive, direction hence the 'out with the old'.

 

[Dribble]

I presume these guys decided to leave without being pushed as normally you'd let the new CEO decide what team he (or she) wants and as he hasn't arrived yet now is not the time to be firing more people.

Short term I expect it won't make much difference, but longer term you get the feeling AMD really doesn't know where it's going and by the time it works that out it's going to be late to the party again.

That said they've been lacking a clear forward thinking vision for a while now - everything seems based around survival - taking no risks with new markets, playing it very safe and relying on traditional sources of income. The world is changing and AMD seems to be retreating into it's shell not forging the path to the future.

 

[Martimus]

It looks like AMD really is getting sold. I wonder if this is historically good for stock prices or bad? I guess I shouldn't care, sicne I won't buy stock either way.

I just wonder who is buying the company?

 

[cotak13]

God forums are stupid...

Seyer is SVP chief corporate strategy officer and Rivet is EVP chief operation and admin officer. Rivet is the nuts and bolts guy dealing with supply chain, HR and IT. While Seyer is about company direction.

The take home point is neither of these guys are responsible for the new chips directly. So there's really nothing to speculate here about bulldozer. Nor is the company's getting sold. If the company's being sold and people are going to lose their jobs up top. You can bet your pretty rears that people will be staying pretty to get let go and receive a severance package.

FYI it's people like you guys speculating and reacting to "meh" news like this on the stock market that makes those wall street guys their money. People talk about lottery being the tax on the stupid. Stock trading on rumors seems the tax on those who think they are smart...

 

[Phynaz]

This one is easy.

AMD is going to the outside for a new CEO. A new CEO is NOT going to keep the prior CEO's management team.

So they are leaving while the getting is good. Look for them to pop up someplace soon, like around 45 -60 days.

 

[exar333]

God forums are stupid...

Seyer is SVP chief corporate strategy officer and Rivet is EVP chief operation and admin officer. Rivet is the nuts and bolts guy dealing with supply chain, HR and IT. While Seyer is about company direction.

The take home point is neither of these guys are responsible for the new chips directly. So there's really nothing to speculate here about bulldozer. Nor is the company's getting sold. If the company's being sold and people are going to lose their jobs up top. You can bet your pretty rears that people will be staying pretty to get let go and receive a severance package.

FYI it's people like you guys speculating and reacting to "meh" news like this on the stock market that makes those wall street guys their money. People talk about lottery being the tax on the stupid. Stock trading on rumors seems the tax on those who think they are smart...

Good damage control there...

 

[formulav8]

Could be another CEO will be announced in the next few weeks/months. Not another Ruin ceo will be chosen I hope. Ruiz is truly responsible for many of AMD's problems the past few years. I have been an Intel/AMD stock holder for years now and couldn't understand how he got elected to CEO. It was a very good thing when Dirk got elected as CEO. With what he had to work with, he did very well. If ruiz never worked at AMD, then I honestly feel AMD would be in a much better position.

I also don't think these 2 people leaving has much to do about how bad bulldozer is going to be or anything. So they proably saw it as a good time to get out of AMD for one reason or another. Perhaps a new CEO will be unvieled soon or something.

 

[Idontcare]

Normal business practice if you have an upcoming great product one month or two away is to successfully launch the product and then to say thank you to all the deserving.

Something like this is never done, since it fuels speculation on the stock exchange and that can bury even a good company (imagine the damage to a company already on infusion; like AMD).


Do you remember? year 2007

quote:

"AMD Faces Exodus of Executives Ahead of Major Product Launch.
AMD Loses Executives as Quad-Core Processor Launch Looms
[09/02/2007]

The current financial situation of Advanced Micro Devices is a combination of AMD’s failure to recognize the threat of Intel’s Core micro-architecture back in late 2005, failure to deliver both new micro-architecture as well as quad-core chips on time and ATI’s failures to ensure that the new products and micro-architectures are available on time or ahead of the main rival Nvidia.

Obviously, every manager at both AMD and ATI is partly responsible for the present condition of the company, however, if all of them will step down “because of the personal reasons”, who will work at the company?"

It does have a rather Dejavu'esque feeling to it, I agree.

 

[Wreckage]

Here is my own speculation:

• Fired over mobile strategy (at least that's what they said about Dirk)
• Trouble with upcoming product launches. Delays and or performance issues.
• Clearing the way for a takeover/buyout.

I suppose it could be all 3.

 

[Idontcare]

Here is my own speculation:

• Fired over mobile strategy (at least that's what they said about Dirk)
• Trouble with upcoming product launches. Delays and or performance issues.
• Clearing the way for a takeover/buyout.

I suppose it could be all 3.

In my limited exposure to how the executive office and BOD interact, #1 in your list isn't something that happens.

CEO's don't get fired just because they neglect a non-core business opportunity. It factors into their compensation package, but its not something a BOD would fire a CEO over.

Unless the issue was more that the BOD wants AMD to abandon the existing core business strategy (x86 in server and desktop segments) and make mobile be its core business strategy in its place.

If that is what the BOD wants, and the CEO refused to change core strategies, then I could see the BOD firing the CEO.

...which kinda might explain what this thread's title is all about...

 

[gammaray]

since AMd wants to develop a new bulldozer platform, shouldn't they ask Caterpillar or Komatsu for their expertise?

 

[Wreckage]

In my limited exposure to how the executive office and BOD interact, #1 in your list isn't something that happens.

Well I believe that was AMD's official reason for Dirk's departure. That's why 2 and 3 are on my list as they seem more probable. They also seem less like something AMD would want to make public.

These new departures only add fuel to the speculation.

 

[beginner99]

The take home point is neither of these guys are responsible for the new chips directly.

Yeah. Wanted to make that point. Just look at the company you work in and then decide what an influence these high management people have on you. Basically 0, especially in such markets where you actually need to know something in extreme detail.
(Of course I'm speaking about rather "large" companies like AMD)

 

[bryanW1995]

Normal business practice if you have an upcoming great product one month or two away is to successfully launch the product and then to say thank you to all the deserving.

Something like this is never done, since it fuels speculation on the stock exchange and that can bury even a good company (imagine the damage to a company already on infusion; like AMD).


Do you remember? year 2007

quote:

"AMD Faces Exodus of Executives Ahead of Major Product Launch.
AMD Loses Executives as Quad-Core Processor Launch Looms
[09/02/2007]

The current financial situation of Advanced Micro Devices is a combination of AMD’s failure to recognize the threat of Intel’s Core micro-architecture back in late 2005, failure to deliver both new micro-architecture as well as quad-core chips on time and ATI’s failures to ensure that the new products and micro-architectures are available on time or ahead of the main rival Nvidia.

Obviously, every manager at both AMD and ATI is partly responsible for the present condition of the company, however, if all of them will step down “because of the personal reasons”, who will work at the company?"

it's hard to say that ati/graphics division hasn't been pulling it's own weight lately. Most likely reason for all these departures is that they were dirk's boys. However, at best this news is neutral regarding BD, at worst it is bad. Especially now, the last thing AMD wants to do is distract from the ongoing SB recall saga. JFAMD, if you are reading this, you might want to offer some "free training" to the BOD re timing.



Edit: Here's a thought: What if the board is in discussions of a buyout...with Nvidia. That could explain an exodus as many of the higher ups would probably rather flip burgers than work for JHH.

 

[Wreckage]

If Llano and BD do fail you can bet they will be like "Oh that was all Dirk and those other 2 guys".

I know this because where I used to work we would always blame crap on the guy who quit/got fired. Sometimes even a year or more later.