14 DAY TRIAL // We already knew that Advanced Micro Devices had let go of a huge portion of the PR and marketing divisions and, now, the CMO himself has announced that he is leaving as well.
It isn't altogether clear if this is a layoff or a willful resignation (setting aside how people can be constrained to resign if the situation calls for it).
Given that he is still going to stick with the Sunnyvale, California-based company until January, the latter is more likely.
Either way, it does make sense that AMD wouldn't try to see him off as soon as possible.
After all, good or bad, the company needs a chief marketing officer during the 2012 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show.
Once that event is over, though, the new CEO (chief executive officer) Rory. P. Read will be going ahead with his restructuring plan meant to finally get AMD working smoothly.
It was early last month (November 2011) when we learned just what Read's tactic involved.
As part of his plan to reduce the global workforce by 10%, he axed a large portion of the marketing and PR departments.
Given the blunders and general hype woes that happened during the past two years, it eventually became clear that such harsh methods really are required.
After all, it takes a certain kind of marketing team to somehow tell the entirety of the reviewer and market watcher community that the Bulldozer has 800 million transistors more than it really does.
It was also strange how it took about three months for the company to finally catch on to how that incorrect figure was running rampant on the net and leading to the dilemma of how Bulldozer could be so underwhelming in reviews when it had 2 billion transistors.
Now we just have to see if AMD emerges stronger from this reorganization.