Rosedale resigns....

Beware the Ides of March...

Start rezzing vote boxes, peeps

I wonder how this ties in with Cory recently leaving...

I would take the job in a red hot second and I think I could do it pretty well, but "executive search team" means that that I have no chance. That's usually synonymous with "Executive From Other Major Corporation Stealing Team".

Honestly, I think this is a good move. Rosedale is a pioneer, a visionary, but he's not a businessman. LL is at the point where it needs a different kind of executive leadership, with Rosedale maintaining a position on the board where he can still guide the company towards it's vision.

They're both stepping out to pursue their preferred work type and let in scaleable management?

/awaits Desmond's take and some rational input before cheering or panicking....

Hmm.. Folks, before we get the whole "ZOMGBBQ?!" crowd coming in doing the sky is falling routine, I would like to say, "Thank you Philip!"

If I'm not mistaken, we haven't seen hide nor hair of this person for a few months now.. and I'm sure he's hating that fact like crazy. He always struck me as a more hands on kind of person and not being able to actually deal with SL because of CEO obligations has probably driven him insane. I know it drive me bonkers.. if I wasn't already so.

Hopefully, this means more him being in world and interacting with the residents?

I don't know, read it again.

It might be a promotion.

Stepping down from CEO to become Chairman of the Board.

The wording is very odd to me...

Sometime in the future he will step down?

I need to know when it's time to be officially super sad.

Take a look at that resume you're carrying. You're in, I tell you.

Doubt it. I would read this more as: Board increasingly disturbed by reports of unscalability, operational incompetence, leveling growth, and failure to succeed with corporations. CEO's initial attempt to remedy situation by axing CTO was unsuccessful. CEO is forced by board to commit to bringing in more experienced, less entrepreneurial, leadership.

"Linden Lab Chief Executive Philip Rosedale said on Friday the company he founded has begun a search for a new CEO with more operational and management expertise."

Pretty clear. And yes, the internal discussions occasioned by Gartner's unfavorable paper last month and the subsequent press release of it doubtless had some straw-that-broke-the-camels-back role in this.

If the Love Machine goes, hooray. But I do tremble for what else may go.
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You can expect people heavily invested in SL to publicly proclaim that they are excited by this news and are looking forward to the future.

If they have doubts they won't share them mostly as that would cause the panic you refer to and they would lose money quickly rather than slowly scaling back for a more graceful departure.

I'm guessing the fact that they made the announcement means they've narrowed it down to a few choices, but they haven't made a definitive decision yet. Once they do, when Philip steps down will probably depend on when the new CEO can leave his or her current job and what sort of training will be involved.

Think of this as Trailer 1. You're allowed to be super sad now even though you don't really know what it's going to look like.

When you see the actual resignation and transfer of roles, then you can be super sad all over again.

But you may want to save your super super sadness for the box office returns.

Why would the board oust him and then make him their chairman?

Of course they might have took him aside and said - "hey we need a business veteran around here, why not come and work from this side of the fence."

If anyone noticed the blog post about the Concierge Party did mention the Ides of march and killing Caesar.

Can I be Chief Executive Office of Vice?

.d

Only if you'll use Voice.

I would expect anyone to have doubts and to take an guarded approach - I'm invested myself. But I also don't work in the industry, haven't watched startups for long period or participated in them. There are a handful of people here who have those creds and I'd rather hear their thoughts before jumping to conclusions. It seems like a pretty damn positive move from my perspective but I also like to look at important stuff from as many angles as possible.

I was already promised that post.

Put that way, I have to agree. I'll use Neopets as an example, since it was started by two college aged people, with an more mature user base. Over the years that devolved into a child only (or adults who have kids, such as myself) place, which got only WORSE when the CEOs stepped down and then the company was bought out by another. So.. yeah, I'm more worried about what else may go. Mainly, my right to be an adult.

This is standard practice for venture-backed startups, it is always done. CEOs stepping aside become Chairman of the Board.

Philip, like most visionaries who have to eventually step aside, has not screwed up. He has simply reached the limit of where his skills as leader of a technology company, can take LL. He needs to be kept actively involved because he is still the keeper of the company's vision. They just need someone who can execute it more effectively.

It is VERY common for this to happen at exactly this size ... 250-300 employees. It is a major inflection point for startups.
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So vice is only possible with voice or has voice become a vice?

.d

Can I be Vice Scotch-Obtaining President (VSOP?)

Seriously, hmmm. I think most people are going to have a "wait and see" attitude. I wouldn't be surprised if Phillip is just dern TIRED by this point. I know I would be.

Or, hey we need this table for someone else to sit at, why don't you go fly around Second Life for a while, go on, you know you want to!

QFT

The sky is NOT falling.. this is a natural step in the lifecycle of startups. It seems that is is being done the best way possible. Making sure that Philip will have a strong voice in the direction of the company.

There are many startups where the founders and the VCs get into a tug of war that totally destroys the company. So, having a controlled transition is a GOOD thing.

.d