Controversial Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz has stepped down in a nonconventional way by using Twitter. He tweeted his resignation early Thursday, well within the 140-character limit.
“Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more”, Schwartz said via Twitter. Schwartz also tapped into social media on Jan. 28, when he signaled his impending departure from the company with a blog post that he called “likely my last blog at Sun.”
Schwartz didn’t offer any insights as to where he’ll go from Sun. But in a blog post last week, he suggested people follow him via Twitter to find out. One thing is certain — Schwartz is walking away with a healthy sum of cash, about $12 million as part of his severance package.
Why Schwartz Resigned
His departure was widely anticipated. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison reportedly doesn’t like Schwartz, and that’s one of two things that may have worked against him. Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, described Schwartz as a polarizing character within and outside Sun.
“Schwartz was one of those guys that, for good or ill, just didn’t seem to illicit general responses in people. They either loved him or they hated him,” King said. “There was actually something of a similarity between people’s reaction to Schwartz and the people’s reaction to Sun founder Scott McNealy.”
As King sees it, McNealy is an executive who “shoots from the lip.” Even though some disliked him, most considered him clever, King said, while Schwartz didn’t enjoy that same level of lovability. In fact, Schwartz was considered something of a blowhard by many, King said, and that personality doesn’t carry much value for Oracle.
The Twitter Finale
Schwartz also had Sun’s woes on his back that led executives to seek an acquirer…