Gawker
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real estate
Bill Joy sells $40 million condo to Hugh Jackman at half off
Dreamily inventive billionaire Bill Joy, the cofounder of Sun Microsystems, has predicted doom for the human race in the pages of Wired. He has a new reason for pessimism: A Manhattan condo he put on the market for $40 million has reportedly sold to Australian actor Hugh Jackman for $21 million — down from a previously rumored sale price of $25 million. The five-bedroom, three-floor condominium has a view of the Hudson River. We have a theory on why Joy sold, even at such a discounted price. More »
12,083
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By Owen ThomasComment by Smitros: Thad headline begs for a punchline. 3 Responses | Other threads
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layoffs
Sun sacks 6,000, but Schwartz won't say who
Chief executive ponytail-twirler Jonathan Schwartz is annoyingly vague in this San Jose Mercury News interview. Got more details on Sun's layoffs? Please send 'em in. Neither one of us has a job to protect anymore, so we might as well blog the facts. (Photo by AP/Paul Sakuma)
1,632
By Paul BoutinComment by ChapinMagumpus: After being inside Sun for a long time (up until very recently - left to start "my own thing" w/some... more » | Other threads
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arista networks
Andy Bechtolsheim quits Sun again
Billionaire Andreas von Bechtolsheim — "Andy" to us — cofounded Sun Microsystems in 1982. The original Sun team of Bechtolsheim, Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Scott McNealy were like the Beatles to a previous generation of Silicon Valley engineers. Now, Bechtolsheim's using the current imaginary financial apocalypse to plant good news about Arista Networks. "Innovations in Cloud Networking" is the company's meaningless slogan. What Andy really wants to say: Throw those stinky old Cisco routers away! Oh, here's the part where Sun PR tells everyone a lie about Bechtolsheim "continuing his present involvement" at Sun as an advisor. Never mind that — just read the nut from his NYT article. More »
3,374
By Paul BoutinComment by MajellaAgrius: It might have been Ram Shriram, certainly not Vinod. more » | Other threads
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David Axmark
Another MySQL founder soft-quits
First it was Monty Widenius who quit, or didn't, or was thinking about resignation as an option or something. Now David Axmark has officially resigned from Sun Microsystems, which bought MySQL the company — not to be confused with MySQL the open-source software — for a billion dollars in January. Like Monty before him, Axmark isn't completely quitting. He's going to "work with MySQL and Sun on a less formal basis" because, he says in a resignation letter, "I HATE all the rules that I need to follow, and I also HATE breaking them." Dude, it's called middle age. Here's the official blurb from MySQL spokesblogger Kaj Arnö: More »
532
By Paul BoutinComment by Sharjee: On 8th Oct. David Axmark gave a speech on "MySQL - taking open source from zero to a $1 billion... more » | Other threads
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clips
The 5 goofiest computer ads
Microsoft's new Seinfeld ad campaign proves you can't predict success. Here are five goofy ads that worked — plus the clip that probably sold Microsoft on Seinfeld. Above: A parody of Jacques Cousteau's undersea documentaries for Sun Microsystems. More » -
exclusive
MySQL founder quits Sun
"Just heard that Monty gave his resignation to Sun today," a tipster we trust writes about Michael Widenius, the Finnish-born main author of open-source database software MySQL. Sun Microsystems had aqcuired Monty's company, also called MySQL, for a cool billion in January. So who's running the show now? Best guess is Brian Aker, another prominent MySQL developer. Aker released a lightweight, Web 2.0-oriented version of MySQL called Drizzle in late July, but he's still at Sun.
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By Paul BoutinComment by Mouser_UK: a lightweight version of mysql which vital features of a relational database did they drop this time 1 Responses | Other threads
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blogging for dollars
SEC, Sun CEO make sure blogging will never be fun again
Blame Jonathan Schwartz. Sun Microsystems' ponytailed Mission-hipster foodie CEO complained in 2006 that he couldn't post corporate news on his blog. SEC chairman Chris Cox stepped to, initiating a two-year study that has just concluded that yes, posting "non-public material information" on a website might suffice as a means of disclosure. What this will really accomplish: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Uncle-Sam's Littlle Helper: I tryed to contact Mr. Schwartz as I read an article in HBR. But this guy did not even reply.... more » | Other threads
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layoffs
Heads roll in Sun's marketing department
A tipster writes to tell us that a number of fellow Sun employees have either coincidently decided to quit the Sun Microsystems en masse, or are being given the pink slip in a round of layoffs that's rumored to include anywhere from 30 to 65 percent of the marketing department. Has Sun's ponytailed CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, decided that his blog is all the marketing Sun needs? He must be hoping that once Wall Street catches wind of the cost-cutting, it'll boost the company's stock, which has lost over half its value in the last year. After the jump, a gracious parting letter from an employee who had been with the company for over a decade. Our suggestion is that if the layoffs bump up the company's share price, the departed might want to sell before it sinks any lower. More »
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By Jackson WestComment by BobDope: That guy's resignation letter sucked. Bring back the 'tinsmithy' guy. more » | Other threads
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startup camp
"Web 2.0" guardian O'Reilly copies name of Sun event
Make your event name too similar to O'Reilly's Web 2.0 conferences and you may hear from lawyers. Or have Google withdraw support for your organization. Or receive public scoldings from O'Reilly and Google employees, powerful pals of O'Reilly, or even Tim himself. But guess who just appropriated another's conference name for their own event? More »
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By theodpComment by bryceroberts: If Sun has a problem with us using the name "Start-up Camp" we'd totally change the name. But with a... more » | Other threads
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marketing
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 »
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By Jackson WestComment by Randolf: The only Xers with Boomer parents are on the very cusps. My parents are squarely Silent/Eisenhower generation, and think... more » | Other threads
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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 »
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By Jackson WestComment by nessence: afaik, javafx is actually going to be free to phone manufacturers as well. the real issue is sun needs to... more » | Other threads
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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.
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By Jackson WestComment by masterofmonkeys: @sample032: Racism is really bad, Sun's earnings were really bad, therefore Sun's earnings are racist. Or do you think racism is... more » | Other threads
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politics
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."
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Comment by ImmigrantVinay: All you local Americans are just scared to death of the very same competition you claim to be at the... more » | Other threads
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acquisitions
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. More »
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Comment by sample032: The only thing for certain with Sun is that they just don't want to die. They have half their... more » | Other threads
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quotable
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]
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Comment by AugieMarch: Man, he is loquacious, isn't he? My favorite quote? "Ask a teenager if they know Java, and they'll point to their... more » | Other threads
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advice
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. More » -
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. More »
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By Chris MohneyComment by ming666: I he still droning on about how he almost got that wascally wabbit up in Redmond? I 've seen... more » | Other threads
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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 »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Rockwell: That's the weirdest pronunciation of the word "wacky" I've ever heard. "WHHHHHHacky" more » | Other threads
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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 »
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By Nick DouglasComment by ResearchZilla: Schwartz, pictured here against the reflective innner surfact of a Project Blackbox container, rubs his fingers sorely and notes, "funny... more » | Other threads
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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 »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Brian Solis: We've all been held hostage to RegFD and how public companies should release news to the market. I was... more » | Other threads
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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]
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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 »
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By Nick DouglasComment by mtalinm: If the headline had read "John Doerr said he resigned to spend more time with his two personal assistants" (yes,... more » | Other threads
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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 »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Jeremy: Went with the girl's razor analogy. Interesting. more » | Other threads
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google
How to name your merger rumor
Every week brings a new merger rumor, and just like celebrity couples (Bennifer! TomKat! Vive la diff rance!), every merger needs its portmanteau. So remember the official merger names: More » -
eric schmidt
Eric Schmidt should push Apple into the Sun
Let's bring all this Eric Schmidt obsession to a glorious climax by citing columnist John C. Dvorak, who says the Google CEO could, as an Apple board member, finally engineer a long-rumored merger of Apple and Sun Microsystems. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Jake: Am I the only one that seems to find Dvorak utterly clueless? It seems like everywhere I turn he shows... more » | Other threads
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hewlett-packard
Sun buys Hewlett, Packard, cutesy headlines
Sun Microsystems is determined to turn its rivalry with Hewlett-Packard into a frat fight. More » -
sun microsystems
Sun pwns HP by rescuing its founders
This afternoon, Sun Microsystems proudly hosted the founders of Hewlett-Packard at Sun HQ. More » -
jonathan schwartz
I'm. Too sexy for my tie. So sexy I could die.
The CEO of Sun Microsystems found a new friend! Jonathan "it's hip to be a square" Schwartz gleefully blogged Sunday: More » -
bill vass
Sun exec loves the kinder, gentler touch of the Ponytail CEO
At the end of an interview, Forbes asked Sun CIO Bill Vass (pictured here on High School Portrait Day) how new CEO Jon Schwartz is different than his predecessor Scott McNealy. He answered — in Valleyspeak, natch. Let's dissect. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by pimpmyPR: That's such a freakin' wig. He's as bald as a coot underneath that rug. It's probably made from Schwartz's salon... more » | Other threads
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eric schmidt
Young Eric Schmidt even nerdier than we thought
Frankly, the uncanny ability of Eric Schmidt's old videos to pop up on the Internet — on Google Video no less — is making me suspect the Google CEO is doing some strategic linking. In April, everyone saw the old video of Eric taking public speaking lessons. Schmidt seems awkward but not too nerdy. Compare with this recently surfaced clip from 1986, when as a Sun VP he was the victim of an April Fools Day prank: More » -
sun microsystems
Sun Microsystems, powered by HP
Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard have always been, well, less than friends. As one journalist puts it, "'Mortal enemies' doesn't even begin to cover it." But the platform developer loves a good conference — as evidenced by JavaOne and Supernova. So, according to a tipster, they did the business equivalent of Scarlett Johanson borrowing lipstick from Lindsay Lohan. More » -
sun microsystems
Foremski proven right (kinda): Sun only fires 122 workers
Every journalist knows, some tips are too juicy to be true. Despite ZDNet columnist Tom Foremski's dire prediction of thousands of Sun layoffs today, Jon Schwartz's company only cut 400 jobs today. BusinessWeek says that 122 are in Colorado, 113 in Menlo Park, according to a Colorado Department of Labor official. A pain for those who got fired, but more Boston Massacre than Nanjing Massacre. More » -
supernova
Questions that no one asked at Supernova
There's an ulterior motive to opening an official backchannel at a tech conference. It pulls all the dissenters into a virtual room, where they disseminate their snide remarks safely away from the real discussion. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by Paul Montgomery: Again with the Godwinnage. Isn't there a statute of limitations on this stuff? You're linking to a five-year-old story about... more » | Other threads
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supernova
Jon Schwartz at Supernova: Liveblogging the ponytail
Sun Micrososystems interim-but-doesn't-know-it-yet CEO Jon Schwartz kicks off the Thursday talks at the Supernova 2006 conference. He opens with a little speech about Moore's Law as it applies to Sun's data center innovations (and clogging the conference wifi by streaming the World Cup). More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by tokemak: eBay absolutely serves up more searches than Google. Think about it. When you search for something on Google you find... more » | Other threads
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jonathan schwartz
"Ponytail" Schwartz chops off thousands of jobs this week
The penny drops for thousands of Sun employees Thursday morning, according to ZDNet columnist Tom Foremski. CEO Jon Schwartz (pictured) will announce a round of layoffs, part of the 4000 to 5000 layoffs Sun promised in May. More » -
scott mcnealy
Reason #9 to spank the press: They think Scott McNealy's funny
There are plenty of reasons that the press needs, if not a good hate-on, at least a swat. The St. Paul Pioneer Press demonstrates one reason — the press is easily amused — by calling ex-Sun CEO Scott McNealy (pictured here finding jokes on chests) "funny", "brash", and "outspoken" in the lede to a recap of his tepid talk at the U of Saint Thomas. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by matto: I could swear I've seen that photo on the Colbert Report before. more » | Other threads
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microsoft
Sun and MS makin' out on the dance floor
Slipped into an otherwise boring story on Sun and Microsoft is a tale of two left feet: More » -
susan decker
Morning news: Blue Frog croaks
- Sun promises to make Java open source. It will be the loss leader for a lovely set of Sun steak knives. [VNUnet]
- Blue Security dies. USA Today publishes graph showing the Blue Frog mascot being slowly cooked. [Washington Post]
- "I wouldn't take that so literally." — Yahoo CFO Susan Decker, about projected revenue of $4.6 billion to $4.85 billion. Apparently those numbers were metaphorical. [CNN Money]
- Napster almost made money this quarter. Who'd have thought that an RIAA-approved walled garden piggybacking off the brand recognition of a stick-it-to-the-man filesharing network wouldn't be a cash cow? [CNET]
- Oh, looks like the Internet is just for child porn. At least on Orkut. [Bloomberg]
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Thu Jul 9
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