Shuttleworth Steps Down as Canonical CEO

Filed in archive News on December 19, 2009

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Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth recently announced that he's stepping down as CEO of the company, handing the reins to current COO Jane Silber.

"Shuttleworth will not be leaving the company, but taking on a role similar to Bill Gates' in his last years at Microsoft," writes The Inquirer's Paul Taylor. "Shuttleworth said his new position will let him enjoy what he likes doing most at the company and, considering his critiism about the lack of focus in Linux development, it seems like the job should suit him."

"Shuttleworth said that he'll be spending more of his time with Asian hardware partners and that Ubuntu is looking forward to gaining more of the desktop market with its own Ubuntu offering 'right under Windows 7's nose," writes Computerworld's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. "Put these comments together, and I think he'll be working on getting more vendors, especially outside the U.S., to invest in pre-installed Linux laptops and desktops."

More here from ZDNet ... and more here from CNET News.