December 19th, 2008
Linux Foundation goes from Novell to IBM CTO
Ted Ts’o is the new CTO at the Linux Foundation.
That’s the headline, but the real news is that the Foundation — which always gets by with a little help from its friends — is going from Novell to IBM leadership.
Ts’o was borrowed from IBM, and must return there in a year. The previous CTO, Markus Rex, was borrowed from Novell, and thus has just gone back.
This recycling of leadership with private industry is the real story. With Rex, Novell can now better internalize Linux’ direction. In that way he’s a caveman returning with fire.
IBM should gain the same benefits from Ts’o’s stint. He will be heading work on Linux Standard Base and act as the chief technical interface to the kernel community.
This technical leadership will benefit the Foundation, hopefully pushing LSB to a more unified desktop stance and moving the Open Printing initiative ahead. Ts’o will also get some media face time, always good practice for corporate leadership.
What IBM will get back will be a seasoned, respected leader with management and global diplomatic experience to go along with his technical background. Not to mention all the knowledge gained from two years with the Portland boys.
A Merry Christmas present all around. It will be interesting to see where the group’s next top fellow comes from. Microsoft, maybe? Or Google?
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for 30 years, a tech freelancer since 1983. You can follow Dana on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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