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Valley Buzz: Palm Swings for the Fences at CES, a New Candidate for Yahoo's CEO and Shhhhh! Google Is Cutting Contractors
Posted Jan 08, 2009 05:14pm EST by Sarah Lacy in Investing, Computers, Electronics, Internet, Products and Trends, Valley Buzz, Mobile
There’s one topic conspicuously under-reported on the tech blogs today and that’s last night’s pre-Consumer Electronics Show keynote by Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer. The headline on AllThingsD’s coverage sums up why: It was a “Yawnnote.”
There was little new for Microsoft to announce. They beta version of Windows 7 was leaked last week and the win for Verizon’s mobile business was expected, and as Scott Kessler noted earlier today on TechTicker, a bit “desperate.”
Believe it or not, there’s more buzz about today’s Palm keynote and the unveiling of its new handsets and its much-hyped new operating system. This is the make-it-or-break-it moment for the iconic Silicon Valley company that private equity firm Elevation Partners has pumped $425 million into so far. A lot of Valley people have not only money but strong emotions invested in the Palm comeback, and early reviewers were impressed, but still skeptical of a full comeback.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama just keeps fighting to keep his Blackberry. On Wednesday he told reporters, “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.” Palm sure hopes not every Blackberry and iPhone user feels that way.
While those Valley titans slug it out at CES, Google is quietly slimming down its force of contractors, according to a hush-hush Securities & Exchange Commission filing that was submitted only in paper form mid-December. The official rationale was that the filing contained “trade secrets,” according to the Associated Press. But it was curious in an era where companies are trumpeting their cutbacks to gain Wall Street kudos. It seems Google still doesn’t want to admit any signs of weakness.
Over at the no. 2 search company, Yahoo, talk is swirling about a new CEO candidate: Carol Bartz. Bartz was the chief executive of AutoDesk, a sleepy little software company that she transformed into one of the fastest-growing, most profitable companies in the software space, even amid the post-2000 crash. Want some numbers? She took AutoDesk from a couple hundred million dollars in sales to $1.5 billion during her fourteen-year tenure, and profits rose from $47 million in 2003 to $315 million when she voluntarily stepped down three years later.
Bartz is incredibly respected and tapped into the high tech scene with board seats on Cisco Systems, Intel and NetApp. She was also on President Bill Clinton’s Science & Technology Council. What’s more: She was seen as a galvanizing, charismatic leader at Autodesk, a quality many have said Yahoo has lacked.
I’m off to CES, so expect some dirt directly from the conference tomorrow.
13 Comments
blank - Thursday January 08, 2009 05:41PM EST
bartz is cool but she cant save YAHOO even today i was pissed at YAHOO as they dont allow you to choose an automatic DEFAULT ALIAS when you type on message boards. yahoo thinks it can force people to do things its way !!!!!!!
Donut - Thursday January 08, 2009 06:37PM EST
I would google Yahoo, but not yahoo google.
richard - Thursday January 08, 2009 06:42PM EST
People are still living in a dream world. Tech lags the real world, it doesn't lead. People do not spend money on tech or tech gadgets during a downturn. Business does not spend new money on advertisements in a downturn. The NASDAQ has a lot lower to go, and will not recover until the rest of the economy is going strong - maybe a year or two later. I have seen this cycle before and things are going to get really bad in the tech world before they improve. Companies like Yahoo, Google and some of the manufactures and software companies are going to have a hard time surviving, much less growing.
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday January 08, 2009 09:39PM EST
Point is that even in good economy y! will have hard times surviving with the ceo like Jerry and whether "Carol who?" is the right person or not is exactly the question of survival no less, so I hope they think hard this time around.
__A_YAHOO_USER__ - Friday January 09, 2009 01:13AM EST
It is a matter of survival of the Giants,the answer is the best will survive.......Those who got more custuner, more sales,more pofit,more growth will survive......Especially in bad times............
__A_YAHOO_USER__ - Friday January 09, 2009 08:53AM EST
All of them just making a noise to make more money........Old Style......Everybody knows.......
Yahoo! Finance User - Friday January 09, 2009 09:17AM EST
TT, challenge yourself to write an article in 2009 without using iPhone, Apple, Mac, etc. Betcha can't do it. Oh, the new Palm phone has a user swappable battery.
Yahoo! Finance User - Friday January 09, 2009 10:33AM EST
"Sara's cheating on Paul..." Again?
Nick - Sunday January 11, 2009 10:07AM EST
WHEN I WAS AH KID , WE,D PICK BLACKBERRIES FOR AH $1.00 AH GALLON , AND SELL THEM TO THA STORES OR NEIGHBORS , THA MONEY LASTED ME BOUT 1 WEEK , AND I ALWAYS SAVED AH LITTLE FOR FOR THA FUTURE , THINGS SURE HAVE CHANGED NOW AH DAYS ,
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Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday January 08, 2009 05:38PM EST
Carol who? I guess silicon valley has finally become one big incestuous nest of delusional charecters... because over here on the backward east coast - never heard of her. She might be good... but if Jerry Yang is still hanging on as the Chief Yahoo I don't see much improvement. He represents the past and God love em for his internet concept back in the mid 90's along with his partner David and the true business genius of Yahoo who persuaded them (literally arguing) to monetize - Terry Koogle... Both Jerry and David need to move on and not be involved day to day with Yahoo. Really they do. I believe many other potential CEO's turned down this gig because of the presence of Jerry and David. Only one vision and ego at a time - thank you.