On Carly, Flacks and IBM Software
Ms. Tenzer now gets the world, apparently, her new title appears to be vice president of worldwide channel marketing and SMB.
Meanwhile, IBM's latest foray into applications (where it has sworn it will not go) is in healthcare. If this Healthcare Collaborative Network "isn't an application, I don't know what is," said one analyst and long-time watcher of Big Blue.
IBM had better watch out or Microsoft will start using this kind of stuff against it. Meanwhile Microsoft has pretty much relegated Solution Accelerators, which many partners complained were encroaching on ISV turf, to the partners themselves.
On another note, a reporter colleague was somewhat amused to hear from a flack at one of the largest-ever tech companies that it was cutting off all PR "outreach" this week as a result of Hewlett-Packard's blockbuster ouster of Carly Fiorina. God forbid that one of those execs might say the wrong thing. Or even something of substance.
Not to be outdone, Microsoft PR had an incredibly controversial comment on Fiorina's departure. Quoth Wagged: "HP is and will continue to be one of Microsoft most valued partners."
Interesting that Carly's exit comes a day after HP Director Sanford Litvack exited the board. Gee, no wonder the press release said nothing about a unanimous board vote on Carly's future.
Inquiring minds want to know what this all means for longtime HP board member and printer genius Richard Hackborn. He was Carly's biggest fan, and after her probably the biggest booster of the $24 billion Compaq buyout.
Bloomberg News' Connie Guglielmo scored an interview with Walter Hewlett, son of one of HP's legendary co-founders and got a real quote. "What they need is good leadership," Hewlett told Bloomberg. "She found a big splashy move like a merger to distract people from the fact that she wasn't really able to get the job done.''
Whaddaya know? Someone who actually SAYS something....
CHRIS STONE RESURFACES
Former Novell vice chairman and OMG guy Chris Stone has resurfaced as an advisor for Acton, Mass.-based Virtual Iron.
Also on this board of advisors is Steve Beckhardt, former Iris Associates/Lotus Notes pioneer and current president of Red Brook Harbor Consulting.
"What's a Board Of Advisors?" you might ask? It's like a board of directors without the liabilities, opined one long time advisor.