<![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third - Valleywag Comments]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third - Valleywag Comments]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third]]> First thing's first: 30% of Visto worldwide staff was layed off in April. Now it's down to around 300 from over 400 staff.

After 10 years and $350MM in VC, Visto is still not profitable. The main reason is Brian Bogosian is incapable of managing a company, and the lame BoD is responsible for his continuing ineptitude. Brian Bogosian is not able to reign in his staff and make concrete decisions and stick to them. With 19 VPs at his side, he does not have the focus to make a decision and stick to it. Even in meetings, half his attention is on a cell phone and the other half is on his laptop.

The first thing Visto needs to do is figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. If it's going to go the NTP route, fire everyone and keep a room full of lawyers. If it's going to be an operational company, then stop litigating for peanuts and make a go. Unfortunately the "make a go of it" route is quickly running out of room. The latest fad Brian is following with mobile social networking is too little too late. Yahoo already beat 'em to the punch.

Major failings of Visto:

1. Too many M&A distractions kept them from being excellent in the push e-mail arena when the time was right. Now the time is past

2. Too many senior executives. 19 VPs in a company with now 300 staff is insane. Decisions become much clearer when the chain of command and influence is streamlined. Learn a thing or two from Dick Cheney.

3. No innovation beyond 10 year old warmed-over patents. Where's the beef? New strategy will not pan out to much as it's too little too late, and there is no IP there.

4. Coddling M&A legacy staff, rather than focusing on what's important, making hard decisions and sticking to them.

5. Recapitalizations-R-Us. Nobody except Brian and a handful of senior execs stand to potentially make any money (and I use that term loosely) if this were to go anywhere. Not a good incentive for staff when all they can expect at the end of the road is enough money to buy a nice car.

Visto will end in an asset sale, or will go bankrupt. Even if Brian is put out of his misery, it'll be too little too late. Are you listening Barry Schuler?

bogomips

]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third]]> While the Bogosian era was interesting, perhaps more so is the fact that this company is still around.

ihuntheads

]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third]]> Or maybe an era... like the great hornbilled elephant hails from the Bogosian era, an era that experienced little change after the great eruption of the Bogosian mountain ranges.

Fidel on the Roof

]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third]]> Is his name really Bogosian? It sounds like a measurement of something lethal. "How many bogosians is that? Oh, about 17 mega bogotrones worth." Right out of CSI.

Apel Mjausson

]]> <![CDATA[BlackBerry doormat Visto cuts London staff by a third]]> Visto has an interesting product. I do think, however, that visto and newsgator leave some things to be desired.

When you have a thumb mouse (8300 series) and are on the go, having options that emulate the options you have on a desktop reader are important.

Fidel on the Roof

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