Scott McNealy, the co-founder of the famous Sun Microsystems Inc., announced that he will no longer be the CEO of company, after 22 years spent as head of the entire business units.

He is the only CEO in tech industry who resisted for such a long time as head of the company, so it is only fair to ask ourselves what is the cause for his maybe hasty decision?
Does he feel the need of an extended holiday, away from all "the IT fuss", or is he forced by circumstances to "abandon" (as the problems Sun encounters every day get bigger and bigger)?

"This was my decision, which was supported by the board," McNealy said in the conference call. "We had a late Friday night board call and I said, 'Gang, it's time.'"

It seems it's high time for another CEO to emerge - Jonathan Schwartz. He came to Sun in 1996, when the company took over Lighthouse Design, a software retailer, and he was offered "the CEO chair" many times, but Schwartz didn't accept it until today.

However, McNealy will still serve Sun as chairman of the board of directors and head of Sun Federal, the business unit which sells its products to the U.S. Government. So, the ex-CEO will have to smooth the relationship between Sun and the government officials.

"I would have thought it would have been one to two more years out, but it kind of makes sense," said Gordon Haff, analyst at Illuminata Inc. in Nashua, N.H. "What else could McNealy have accomplished before he left to really make a difference?"

The analysts expect that this sudden change will produce a reduction of the company's workforce by 10%-15%, which means 3,800 employees fired.