UPDATE: Philip Rosedale has announced yesterday on 19th October 2010 that he will be stepping down from his interim CEO position at Linden Lab. I first heard about this news this morning (SLT), when I got up and was shocked to hear about it so soon after all that has happened this year.
There was a rumour yesterday floating around posted by TechEye about Linden Lab chief flees to LoveMachine. Soon after it spread through the Metaverse and many were starting to wonder if this was true or no. Then the official word came that Philip Linden (Philip Rosedale) will step down and Linden Lab will now search for a new CEO for Linden Lab. This process we have no idea how long it will last and who will be the next CEO of Linden Lab. Philip Rosedale will return to running LoveMachine Inc, while Bob Komin will lead Linden Lab.
After about four months as interim CEO, working closely with Bob Komin, the management team, and the board, we’ve decided we are ready to start the search for a new CEO. I’ll be leaving day-to-day management of the company and continuing in my role on the board, including helping in the search to find a great CEO. I will also be continuing my work with my new company, LoveMachine. Bob will lead Linden Lab while we conduct the search. It’s been an intense few months of transition, and we all feel like we are in a better place now, with a clearer sense of direction and more focus, and are ready to bring someone new into the mix as a leader.
Philip’s blog post was rather short than the last one he did when he left LL for the first time and Philip should of opened comments in the blog post. Anyway, soon after the announcement the SL Blogosphere and Metaverse started to break the news to the rest of the Second Life community.
Timeline of events of changes since 2008.
- Philip Rosedale announced LL are looking for new CEO – 14th March 2008
- M Linden joined LL as CEO – 15th May 2008
- Linden Lab Announces Management Changes Philip Linden returned as interim CEO and M Linden left – 24th June 2010
- Philip Rosedale steps down and new CEO begins – 19th October 2010
Today I have asked the question: What would you like to see in a new CEO at Linden Lab ?. Here are some responses I recieved so far:
- Hope, direction, persistence, a thick skin, creativity, bravery (to stand up to us when we need it), flexibility and belief in SL
- We need someone that is proud to represent counterculture
- Someone with a “do-it” attitude, and a knowledgeable background in SL but who respects and embraces the wide diversity of SL
- Someone who has the support of the rest of the company
- Honesty
- Someone who actually knows what SL is
- Community-orientated CEO
What’s next ?
Linden Lab are now looking for a great new CEO for Linden Lab for the 2nd time and it will be interesting how long this process will last. I guess the new CEO of Linden Lab won’t be announced until the end of 2010 or early 2011 at the very latest. I hope whoever the new CEO of Linden Lab is he/she will last for more than 2 years and we don’t see the founder coming back to LL for a 3rd time. I hope the new CEO leader will make Second Life a better place with clear directions, management and better focus for the platform. 2010 has not been a great year for Linden Lab and 2011 needs to be better.
What are your views on this ?
What does the new CEO need to do ?
Daniel Voyager 