Transmeta names new CEO
By Colleen Taylor -- EDN, January 16, 2007
IP provider Transmeta Corp. has appointed Lester Crudele its new president and CEO, effective February 1, replacing Arthur Swift.
According to a Transmeta spokesman, Swift's departure was the result of a mutual decision between Swift and the board. "The board of directors decided it wanted a leader with more operational experience," Greg Rose, Transmeta's senior corporate communications director, said.
Crudele has served on Transmeta's board of directors since June 2005. His 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry started at Motorola, where he was chief architect for several Motorola MC 68000-series microprocessors and served in a variety of management positions, most recently returning to Motorola in 1990 and serving as VP and general manager of its RISC Microprocessor Division from 1991 to 1997. Crudele also held management positions at companies including Compaq, Quantum Effect Devices, Banderacom, Quickfilter Technologies and MIPS Computer Systems.
And it seems that Transmeta will need strong leadership in the coming months: Last week, top-ranked MPU magnate Intel Corp. slammed Transmeta with a patent infringement suit. Intel's claim came in response to a similar suit filed by Transmeta in October. The company also was plagued with financial woes throughout 2006, reporting quarter after quarter of slumping profits, and saw former CFO Mark Kent resign in May.
