President Obama will be hosting his first Google+ hangout tonight at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. In the discussion, the president will be answering questions that were submitted over the past few weeks through YouTube. Google maintains that the White House has had no role in which questions will be selected. Google’s team will instead choose the top-rated questions among those submitted, ensuring there will be several different issues discussed. The event will take place in the Roosevelt Room of the White House and is scheduled to last 45 minutes. The hangout will also be streamed on the White House’s web site, and reporters and press cameras not permitted inside during the event. Obama has previously hosted town hall meetings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, all of which received harsh criticism and claims that the President ignored subjects that drew the most questions.

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After months of investors unrest, Research In Motion on Sunday announced that Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis were stepping down from their roles as co-CEO and co-Chairmen. Barbara Stymiest was named RIM’s new chairperson of the board, in line with rumors, and former Ericsson executive Thorsten Heins was named president and CEO. Heins and Stymiest hosted a conference call Monday morning, with Heins leading the show, and the company took its first steps in a long climb toward regaining shareholder confidence and customer confidence. Read on for more.

“I pledge to do everything possible to exceed the expectations of the company’s shareholders,” Heins said Monday morning on a conference call. Pointing to RIM’s customer base of more than 75 million users and its next-generation QNX-based platform, the new CEO seems intent on following RIM’s current path on a broad level. He feels that RIM is still innovating and its QNX-based platform and upcoming devices will carry the company into the future.

RIM’s new CEO also praised Mike Lazaridis for acquiring what he views as one of the company’s most important assets: QNX. Heins says QNX is an extremely flexible platform that will already well established in a number of industries. Moving forward, the powerful platform will allow RIM to quickly address new industries as opportunities arise but in the near-term, it will combine with RIM’s other software solutions to create what Heins believes will be a fantastic BlackBerry 10 experience.

Heins isn’t sitting still, however. He identified RIM’s marketing department as in need of an overhaul right away, and he sees marketing in the U.S. as a particular pain point. The company is actively seeking a new Chief Marketing Officer and it hopes to completely revamp its approach in several markets. Heins also wants to focus on resource planning, project and program management and execution in general as areas where RIM needs realignment if it hopes to succeed in the modern smartphone market.

RIM was up as much as 4% in pre-market trading on Monday morning, but the stock was down roughly 1% immediately following the conclusion of the company’s investor call. A video interview with Heins follows below.

Kazuo Hirai will take over as the president of Sony in the next few months, Nikkei reported on Friday. Howard Stringer, who previously had served as the president, chairman and CEO of the company will remain on board as chief executive officer. Sony is expected to be a big presence at the Consumer Electronics Show this year and could unveil a “different kind of TV set” early next week. Sony also recently announced that it will purchase Ericsson’s stake in its Sony Ericsson joint venture for $1.47 billion.

[Via The Verge]

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ARM president Tudor Brown announced on Thursday that he will not seek re-election during a May 3rd shareholder meeting. ARM does not currently have any plans in place to replace Brown. “[Brown] played an important role in the creation and successful development of ARM over the past 21 years and has made an immense contribution in a wide range of positions,” ARM chairman Doug Dunn said. According to The Wall Street Journal, ARM has shipped more than 15 billion chips “based on ARM-processor technology” since the company was founded in 1990. “[I am] very proud to have been so closely involved in building ARM to be the highly successful and respected company that it is today,” Brown, who helped co-found the company with 11 other founders, said in a statement. “[The company is in a] very strong position and I look forward to watching it grow further in the future.”

AMD hired former Lenovo president and chief operating officer Rory Read as its president and chief executive officer on Thursday. Read will replace interim leader Tom Seifert, the company’s chief financial officer, and former CEO Dirk Meyer. Meyer resigned from the chip maker in January after the company’s board decided that AMD could be more profitable, and no doubt more competitive against Intel, with a new head. “I’m very pleased to be joining AMD at this important time in its history,” Read said in a statement. “I’m excited to be joining AMD’s employees as we write the next chapter not just for the company, but for the industry and consumers around the world.” Read worked at IBM for 23 years before moving to Lenovo. The move is effective immediately. Read on for the full press release.

AMD Names Rory P. Read President and CEO

August 25, 2011 — 28-year industry veteran brings extensive track record of growth through transformation and strong customer perspective

AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Rory P. Read, 49, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMD, effective today. Mr. Read has also been appointed to the Company’s board of directors.

Read joins AMD from Lenovo Group, Ltd., where he was most recently President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for leading day-to-day global operations while overseeing the development and implementation of the company’s growth strategy.

Read joins AMD from Lenovo Group, Ltd., where he was most recently President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for leading day-to-day global operations while overseeing the development and implementation of the company’s growth strategy.

“Rory is a proven leader with an impressive record of driving profitable growth,” said Bruce Claflin, Chairman of AMD’s Board of Directors. “He is ideally suited to accelerate AMD’s evolution into the world’s leading semiconductor design company. As President and COO of Lenovo he helped take the company into dynamic new markets while growing market share and expanding profitability. His sound strategic thinking and natural customer orientation will help amplify the voice of the customer inside AMD.”

While managing Lenovo’s Americas group, Read drove double-digit revenue growth and market share gains, reversing operating losses and delivering consistent profitability. He was promoted to president and COO in 2009, helping to transform Lenovo into the world’s fastest growing major PC manufacturer and achieving its largest worldwide market share ever. Prior to Lenovo, Read spent 23 years at IBM, where he held a broad range of management positions.

“I’m very pleased to be joining AMD at this important time in its history. AMD is a true innovator and is uniquely positioned to lead the industry forward, delivering the next big thing both within the PC ecosystem and beyond,” said Read. “AMD has strong momentum and the opportunity to continue profitably gaining share based on its highly differentiated products, solid financial foundation, and passionate and committed employees. I’m excited to be joining AMD’s employees as we write the next chapter not just for the company, but for the industry and consumers around the world.”

Thomas Seifert, who served as interim Chief Executive Officer since January, will return to his role as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Claflin, named Executive Chairman of the Board when he assumed additional responsibilities specific to AMD’s search for a new CEO, returns to his role as AMD’s Chairman of the Board.

“On behalf of my fellow directors, I would like to thank Thomas Seifert for serving as interim CEO,” added Claflin. “Under Thomas’ leadership, AMD has continued to make important progress across key areas of the business, successfully executing on major initiatives and new product introductions while improving the company’s financial performance. We look forward to Thomas’ continued contributions to the Company as Chief Financial Officer.”

Conference Call Details

AMD will host a conference call today at 9:15 a.m. PT (12:15 p.m. ET) regarding the hire of Mr. Read. On the call will be:

• Bruce L. Claflin, Chairman of the Board
• Rory P. Read, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Thomas Seifert, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

AMD will provide a real-time audio broadcast of the teleconference on the Investor Relations page of its Web site at AMD. The webcast will be available for 10 days after the conference call.

About Rory P. Read

Rory P. Read spent five years at Lenovo. During his tenure as President and COO, Read led a global business turnaround that resulted in record market share gains, strong revenue growth and significant improvements in operating income.

Prior to Lenovo, Read spent 23 years at IBM where he held a broad range of management positions. While at IBM, Read consistently grew revenues while significantly improving the operating profitability for the groups under his management:

• As Managing Partner for IBM’s Business Consulting Services Division, Read led the division through a turnaround that significantly improved gross margins, drove new customer acquisitions and generated double digit revenue growth and operating profitability.
• As Executive Vice President of Global Business Transformation, IBM Global Services, Read was responsible for worldwide leadership of IT initiatives and Business Transformation across the $45 billion business.
• As General Manager, Business Consulting Services, Asia Pacific, Read was the senior executive leader for IBM’s $3.5 billion consulting services organization in Asia Pacific. He was responsible for driving significant customer and revenue growth while also improving gross margin and successfully leading the integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Read graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Hartwick College.

Apple’s head of retail is leaving the company to become President of JC Penney, Bloomberg said in a wire report. Prior to the move, Ron Johnson lead Apple’s retail strategy and was responsible for its overall performance according to his executive bio on the Apple website. Apple’s retail business reeled in $3.19 billion in revenue last quarter, and it the company is widely heralded for its leadership in the space. Shares of JC Penney stock jumped more than 14% on the news.

The city of New York has teamed up with the FCC and wireless carriers to unveil a new emergency alert system called PLAN. PLAN can notify mobile users in a specific geographic location of a hazardous or potentially life threatening situations. The new system was announced a few days ago at an event at the still-under-construction World Trade Center site, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented:

One of the many lessons that were reinforced on 9/11 is the importance of getting clear and accurate information to the public–that’s why we’ve made improving our emergency public communications a top priority. As part of this effort, we’re harnessing tech in innovative new ways, which is something I found to be effective in both business and government for improving service delivery.

The system taps into the existing Emergency Alert System that notifies the public of an emergency by radio or TV, though PLAN (Personalized Localized Alerting Network), takes emergency alerts into the modern age with a pretty smart system. With a compatible phone, your mobile device will be able to receive an emergency alert based on your geographical location. For instance, if there was an alert about an imminent threat to public safety for New Jersey (nobody likes New Jersey) and you were not in New Jersey at the time, you would not get the alert. PLAN consists of three alerts: those issues by the President, alerts warning of imminent threats, and Amber Alerts. The last two can be blocked by an individual but not an alert from the President. The system will be available in New York and Washington, D.C. by the end of the year, and will roll out nationally by April of 2012.

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In conjunction with yesterday’s AT&T and T-Mobile merger announcement, T-Mobile USA’s President and CEO — Philipp Humm — sent an email to company employees explaining the move. Referring to it as “the best possible solution for our business and for our customers,” Humm assured his workforce that AT&T was committed to “keeping talented people through the transition.” The letter reiterates statements made in the company’s official press release, and acknowledges that the news may be both “unexpected” and “unsettling.” The full-text of the letter is awaiting your scrutiny after the break.

Dear colleagues,

I write to you over the weekend with important news. Today we announced the beginning of a new journey for T-Mobile USA. AT&T and Deutsche Telekom have reached an agreement for AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA, positioning the combined company to create a world-class platform for mobile broadband innovation and growth. Deutsche Telekom will become the largest shareholder of AT&T.

The sale of T-Mobile USA to AT&T is the best possible solution for our business and for our customers. The merger will ensure the deployment of a robust 4G network to 95% of the U.S. population, something neither company could achieve on its own. Also, because of our compatible networks and spectrum, the customers of T-Mobile USA and AT&T will experience improved voice and data service almost immediately after the networks are integrated.

Additional details about this transaction are included in a press release attached to this e-mail.
I know this news is unexpected and may be somewhat unsettling, but I am confident that our strong culture and T-Mobile USA Values will help guide us through this process.

Bringing together these two world-class businesses will create significant benefits for our customers. T-Mobile is a wonderful business, with great employees who have always demonstrated a willingness to do what it takes to be successful. Frankly, that is exactly why AT&T expressed an interest in combining our organization with theirs.

AT&T has a proven track record of growing through successful integrations. Their leaders recognize that making this combination a success will require the talent and commitment of T-Mobile USA employees. I believe you will see that reflected in their statements and their actions. In fact, AT&T’s leadership has said keeping our talented people through this transition is one of their top priorities.

It is important to keep in mind that this transaction requires regulatory approval from government agencies; until that time we remain T-Mobile USA and must continue to operate independently. It is expected that this deal will close within 12 months. With that in mind, I ask that each of you remain focused on the outstanding work you do every day to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.

I ask you to join me in embracing this new opportunity to build America’s premier mobile broadband company. In the meantime, continue to execute our Challenger strategy – there‘s a lot of work to do in the year ahead.

I promise to make more information available to you in the coming days and weeks on OneVoice and through your leaders.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and support.

With sincere appreciation,
Philipp Humm
CEO & President
T-Mobile USA

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Today, via a press release, T-Mobile USA announced the completion of its “senior leadership transition” and has introduce Philipp Humm as president and chief executive officer. Mr. Humm will replace current CEO Robert Dotson; who will become T-Mobile’s vice chairman of the board of directors. “This move allows the new team to prepare a strong foundation for 2011 and forward,” said René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekolm; T-Mobile’s parent company. T-Mo USA also announced that CTO Cole Brodman will assume the role of chief marketing officer and former chief network officer, Neville Ray, will assume the company’s CTO role. Hit the jump for the full press release.

T-Mobile USA Completes President and CEO Transition to Philipp Humm

Senior Leadership Team for T-Mobile USA Confirmed

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Oct. 19, 2010 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the completion of its senior leadership transition by confirming Philipp Humm as president and chief executive officer. Humm succeeds Robert Dotson, former president and CEO, who moves to vice chairman of the T-Mobile USA Board. The company also re-aligned several executive leadership roles, with all transitions effective Nov. 1, 2010. Cole Brodman, formerly T-Mobile’s chief technology officer, steps into the role of chief marketing officer. Neville Ray, formerly T-Mobile’s chief network officer, becomes chief technology officer for the company.

“T-Mobile has grown into a strong consumer brand known for great value and recognized as a leader in customer service,” Humm said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead T-Mobile toward future growth and plan to continually improve the way we serve our customers.”

René Obermann, CEO, of Deutsche Telekom said, “Philipp and Robert have chosen the right timing for this change. This move allows the new team to prepare a strong foundation for 2011 and forward. I hereby would like to thank Robert who has done an amazing job on bringing Philipp quickly up to speed on the critical issues and strategies facing the U.S. market. His commitment to a smooth transition will help ensure Philipp’s success.”

Humm is an experienced Deutsche Telekom executive and former CEO of T-Mobile Deutschland. He was previously responsible for sales and service in Europe as chief regional officer (CRO) Europe. Humm also brings significant U.S. market experience having 10 years of senior-level experience at U.S.-based companies including McKinsey & Company, Procter & Gamble, and Amazon before joining Deutsche Telekom.

Humm served as CEO of T-Mobile Deutschland from 2005 until 2008. He took over a company in a declining market and successfully turned it around during his tenure to become Germany’s leading mobile operator in both subscribers and service revenues. Humm was also responsible for the successful market introduction of the iPhone^® in Germany in 2007.

T-Mobile’s executive leadership team reporting to Philipp Humm includes the following:

• Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA
• Jim Alling, chief operations officer, T-Mobile USA
• Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA
• Brian Kirkpatrick, chief financial officer, T-Mobile USA
• Larry Myers, chief people officer, T-Mobile USA
• Dave Miller, general counsel and chief legal officer, T-Mobile USA
• Peter Ewens, chief strategy officer, T-Mobile USA

The company remains focused on delivering innovative wireless products and services that help empower people to connect to those who matter most.

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Well, we might as well close the loop on this one. Last month, we told you how former HP CEO Mark Hurd was ousted by HP, complimented by Larry Ellison, and then hired by Oracle. We also told you how the Oracle hiring prompted a lawsuit from Mr. Hurd’s former employer. Now, the New York Times is reporting that the two sides have reached an agreement on the embattled executive’s future. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Hurd will forfeit nearly half of the $28 million compensation package he was given by HP. The former HP chief, and now Oracle President, will give up 330,177 shares of performance-based restricted stock and 15,853 shares of time-base restricted stock (that’s about $13.34 million using today’s stock price). Oracle and HP, who do quite a bit of business together, did their best to reassure stock holders that the two companies are on the mend. “Oracle and HP will continue to build and expand a partnership that has already lasted for over 25 years,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. “HP and Oracle have been important partners for more than 20 years and are committed to working together to provide exceptional products and service to our customers,” said Cathie Lesjak, the CFO and interim CEO of HP. So ends this chapter of the Mark Hurd Chronicles.

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Talk about landing on your feet. HP’s former CEO, Mark Hurd, was forced to resign after allegations of personal misconduct were made public by the company’s board. Hurd was sent packing with a mere $28 million in cash and stock for his efforts; efforts that lasted just over five years at HP. The forced resignation of Hurd was denounced as “cowardly” by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and now it looks like Ellison is putting his money where his mouth is. The AP is reporting that Hurd has been named co-president of Mr. Ellison’s company, Oracle. “Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he’ll do even better at Oracle. There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark,” said Ellison. “Oracle’s future is engineering complete and integrated hardware and software systems for the enterprise.” Oracle is the top database reseller in the world and, with Hurd’s expertise, is looking to expand its business into different areas.

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Yahoo! is a powerful global brand with a great collection of assets, strong technology, and enormously talented employees. The Company has accomplished a great deal in its relatively short history and I look forward to working together to take it to the next level. There is no denying that Yahoo! has faced enormous challenges over the last year, but I believe there is now an extraordinary opportunity to create value for our shareholders and new possibilities for our customers, partners and employees. We will seize that opportunity.

Former CEO Jerry Yang will return to his previous role as Chief Yahoo.

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“The administration believes that the (airwaves) should be auctioned without price or product mandate. The history of FCC spectrum auctions has shown that the potential for problems increases in instances where licensing is overly prescriptive or designed around unproven business models.”

The FCC is reportedly reviewing the letter and has publicly stated that, though it does agree that “market forces should drive competition”, it also believes “providing free basic broadband to consumers is a good thing.” Perhaps the White House is considering how well the free market system is working in every other industry these days when making this assessment…

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Sorry for straying from our regular content, but we felt compelled to remind readers that today is November 4. The official Bold launch is hardly the only interesting news – today also happens to be the day we will elect our 44th President. If you are registered to do so, please, do us and yourself a favor. Take a break at some point today, head down to the polls and vote. Obama/Biden, McCain/Palin, BG/Jibi, whatever. Just vote. This election will already go down in history for a variety of reasons and it will likely be the most important election of our lifetime. Do your part. If making history isn’t enough incentive, hit the jump and listen to our friends over at Cornell University. They want you to vote so badly, well, you’ll see.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

On October 13, President Bush signed a highly controversial anti-piracy law. The dictator President has put into effect a law that will appoint an intellectual property czar (yeah folks, you heard it right) that will report directly to the President (again, you heard that right) on how to keep hax0rz from illegally obtaining copyrighted materials. The targets are primarily music, movies, and TV, but you can bet this will be leaking over to other stuff with copyrights. The bill was, of course, backed by none other than the RIAA and MPAA (our favorite institutions!). Say good-bye to the phrase “DRM Free” everyone. Apparently, counterfeiting and piracy costs the U.S. $250 billion annually… that’s a lotta billions for free tunes and movies. Any devices used in piracy may have to be forfeited to Big Brother, lest “firemen” come into your house and burn down your gadgets Fahrenheit 450 style.

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