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Sun Microsystems
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Neil Young versus the bloggers at JavaOne
As part of Neil Young's appearance at Sun's JavaOne conference, groups of hacks were herded into a conference room to ask questions of the aging rock legend, presumably about how awesome Java is, but I think the plan is that Java is just awesome because Young says so, and he trotted out an expansive interactive discography powered by the Java functionality built into Sony's Blu-ray hardware and a clean car project with telemetrics powered by Sun-sponsored software. Because I doubt there's anything baby boomer executives and the formerly flannel-shirted Gen-X set they spawned like more than getting the most out of their cars and home theater systems. Except maybe hearing Young pontificate on the virtues of an all-analog recording process. More »
javaone
Sun has great friends, but business plan still a mystery
At the JavaOne keynote this held at the Moscone Center this morning, EVP of software Rich Green took the stage and told the assembled crowd, mostly developers, "Welcome to the revolution. Businesses used to drive technology adoption, but now it's all about consumers." Which suggests the company, known historically as an enterprise hardware and software provider, is changing focus to enable more consumer-focused applications. Not mentioned? Last week's announcement of a $34 million quarterly loss and a stock price that has hardly improved since plummeting 20 percent. But look everybody, Neil Young! More »
stocks
Sun earnings so bad, they're racist
After computer maker Sun Microsystems admitted to a $34 million loss yesterday, investors could hardly wait to start the sell-off, with shares opening down and eventually closing at $12.64 — dipping as low as $12.37, well below half the the 52 week high and twenty percent in less than 24 hours. Prompting an unnamed reporter who covers Sun to let us steal the headline they'd never be allowed to run. While the company does promise to slash 2,500 employees from its payroll, the board may want to look at executive pay as well — CEO Jonathan Schwartz made Forbes' list of the twelve best-paid tech CEOs at $13.5 million.
Xerox and Sun CEOs call foreign worker limit "moronic"
By 2010, Asians will account for 90 percent of the world's engineers. Americans are increasingly too lazy to bother to get computer-science degrees. Yet the U.S. government refuses to raise the cap on H-1Bs, the visas which allow foreign engineers to work at American companies. "It's moronic," Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz tells a Stanford audience in this clip. "Because you know what happens? You put a limit here? Guess what we do. We go hire in Asia. We're not dumb. We want talent." Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy chimes in: "And by the way we don't just hire there, we build research centers there."
By 2010, Asians will account for 90 percent of the world's engineers. Americans are increasingly too lazy to bother to get computer-science degrees. Yet the U.S. government refuses to raise the cap on H-1Bs, the visas which allow foreign engineers to work at American companies. "It's moronic," Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz tells a Stanford audience in this clip. "Because you know what happens? You put a limit here? Guess what we do. We go hire in Asia. We're not dumb. We want talent." Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy chimes in: "And by the way we don't just hire there, we build research centers there."
Sun Microsystems acquires MySQL for $1 billion
Sun Microsystems will acquire open source database developer MySQL AB for approximately $1 billion, the companies announced this morning. Sun characterized the move as its entry into the $15 billion corporate-database market.
Sun Microsystems will acquire open source database developer MySQL AB for approximately $1 billion, the companies announced this morning. Sun characterized the move as its entry into the $15 billion corporate-database market.
Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz wrote a blog post to explain why the server hardware maker has changed its stock ticker from SUNW to JAVA, emphasizing its Java programming language and software suite. Luckily, he left comments enabled on the post, leading to gems like this: "This is a move right out of the Dilbert school of management." [Jonathan's Blog via Fake Steve]
At Fortune's iMeme conference, Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz repeats a tired old quote about how he likes to drink wine from a bottle while his predecessor, Scott McNealy, drinks wine out of a box. Quips a News.com reporter: "Maybe they should hire someone who likes to drink wine out of a glass and see where that takes them." [News.com]
scott mcnealy
A skillet, a microwave, and thee
Sun Microsystems' loitering chairman Scott McNealy, when asked about the dining preferences of Jonathan Scwartz (his successor as Sun CEO):I eat to refuel. To him, it's an experience. ... I probably wouldn't remember where we went. You're wasting money on a good meal with me. With a skillet and a microwave, I can cook just about anything I want to eat. ... Son of a gun. I don't think that cheapskate has taken me out to dinner. That's why I hired him. He's cheap.And let's not forget that awesome ponytail.
[Photo: Getty]
pity party
Scott McNealy sinks further into irrelevance
Poor Scott McNealy. The Sun Microsystems ex-CEO and current chairman is the hungry ghost of Silicon Valley, showing up at the odd event and rattling his chains sadly. This time it's tomorrow night's Stirr mixer, guest hosted by CNET's Rafe Needleman. (Incidentally, Needleman himself is pimping his new CNET blog Webware, which at 6 contributors, needs about 7 fewer.) McNealy is there to "talk and take audience questions about entrepreneurship." Sun is pitching in a couple servers for door prizes. A Greek chorus will handle the wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments to accompany McNealy's oration.[Photo: Getty]
sun microsystems
Sun Microsystems on YouTube: It's no Lonelygirl15
Oh man, YouTube is gonna die. Especially if all the Sun videos are this creepy. More »
jonathan schwartz
Caption contest: What is Jon "Ponytail" Schwartz thinking?
The CEO of Sun Microsystems appears in this photo from the New York Times, gazing up at the headline, or trying to tan his forehead with the flourescents, or — what the hell is Jon Schwartz, famous executive blogger and ponytail wearer, doing? More »
jonathan schwartz
Sun's CEO could become blog hero when he asks the SEC for a big change
Much as we love to make fun of Jonathan Schwartz (and his role as lame-duck interim CEO of Sun Microsystems), the dude is pretty good at blogging. So it's actually neat that Schwartz faxed the chairman of the SEC last week asking him to acknowledge blogs as a viable place for a company to disclose info like new deals and quarterly earnings. More »
jonathan schwartz
You may have missed: An awkward chat with the CEO of Sun Microsystems
Didn't notice until today, but blogger Robert Scoble's recent interview of Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz (part of Scoble's new "ScobleShow") is delightfully awkward but revealing. More »
napster
Silicon chairs: Who's moving, leaving, and dropping in tech today
- Veteran venture capitalist Jack Gill joins daughter Jennifer Gill Roberts's venture firm, further abandoning his own firm now struggling after investing in bubble startups in 2000, just before that scene crashed. [VentureBeat]
- The Department of Homeland Security names tech lobbyist Greg Garcia as its cyber-security chief. His first act is to not return calls seeking comment — must be afraid someone's tapping the line. [Washington Post]
- Napster's looking for a buyer as its subscription rate drops. What happened to all those guaranteed accounts from colleges that signed up for Napster en masse? [New York Times]
- Whoa, why did Sun Microsystems's customer service advocate just whip out the door without an explanation? Make a guess in the comments (if you don't have an account, enter a new username/password). [ITworld]
john doerr
Doerr's out and Sun's about to sell
"(I) resigned for more time with family," board member John Doerr said when he announced he's leaving the board of Sun Microsystems. (Translation: "I've made all the money I can.") The prominent venture capitalist pumped up the insolvent company, saying it's in "great shape." More »
sun microsystems
Razor burn: Why Sun wants GM to give cars away
Tech writer David Utter is the latest to draw a common parallel for Sun's future business model: More »
google
