Dave Orton leaves amd ...

[Dawgmatix]

http://theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40897

sigh ...

 

[pelly]

It might be fun to list all the various "conspiracy theories" that will surely result from this news....

Let's get the ball rolling with some of the more amusing bits I've already seen online (tech forums, financial forums, etc.):

• He is going to work for Intel to help with Larabee
• He wanted to get $ for his shares before AMD went out of business
• He wasn't happy with AMD's decisions/direction for the next-gen GPU
• He wants to train to be a professional hockey player
• He lost a bet w/ Jsen Hsung
• etc...

LOL...just when you think you've heard and seen it all.....Gotta love the internet...

 

[3dilettante]

If Orton's leaving was reallly a choice, I'd go with the disagreement over ATI's future products.

He was the head of an independent company AMD is in the process of decapitating and cannibalizing.

ATI as an independent company was willing to take some design risks.
AMD is increasingly risk-averse, and if it's going to bet the farm on a product, it's not going to be a GPU.
I doubt ATI's recent performance has proven palatable for AMD, not at the price paid.
If AMD's going to have delays and lackluster products, it may as well be delays and lackluster products directed by AMD's core executives.

I don't see why any head of ATI would be surprised to be bitten off after courting the big green mantis.

How does the GPU market look, now that one of the two major high-end providers is an increasingly conservative x86 manufacturer?

 

[Humus]

According to the man himself it was primarily family reasons (California <-> Toronto is a pretty nasty commute to keep up for seven years ...)

 

[rwolf]

According to the man himself it was primarily family reasons (California <-> Toronto is a pretty nasty commute to keep up for seven years ...)

I can respect that. I hate business travel.

 

[_xxx_]

Family reasons, my arse. He was most probably told to leave "honorably" or else. Prolly he already has a good new job elsewhere nearer to home.

 

[AlNom]

According to the man himself it was primarily family reasons (California <-> Toronto is a pretty nasty commute to keep up for seven years ...)

Family reasons, my arse. He was most probably told to leave "honorably" or else. Prolly he already has a good new job elsewhere nearer to home.

Some black SUVs showed up at the kids' schools and at his wife's work, and he got the message loud and clear. Ergo, he did it for the family.

 

[Humus]

Prolly he already has a good new job elsewhere nearer to home.

Doesn't sound like it.