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With Motorola transitioning into the hands of new owner Lenovo, we’ve been wondering exactly what kind of restructuring would follow the move. Well, after only 18 months with the the company, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside announced today via the company blog that he’s officially leaving for greener pastures. Apparently, Woodside found a cushy new gig as the first Chief Operating Officer of Dropbox, with Jonathan Rosenburg stepping in as COO of Motorola Mobility come April 1st (great timing).
With Motorola continually bleeding money every year, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming. Of course, Woodside didn’t comment on what motivated the move, but perhaps Dennis wasn’t too excited at the prospect of a corner office in China.
Speaking of Lenovo, Bloomberg held an interview with Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing about the future of the company and their plans for Motorola. Even though Motorola had an operating loss of $1 billion last year, Yang seemed optimistic that Lenovo would turn the ship around. In fact, he intends to have Motorola in the green in a few quarters once Lenovo successfully reintroduces the brand back into China.
Even without Motorola’s help, Lenovo’s smartphone shipments hit a record 13.9 million units last quarter. As far as Motorola employees making the move over to Lenovo, Yang said more than 3,500 Motorola workers were being transferred.
Doesn’t look good for motorola (a lenovo company) haha
Lenovo will definitely turn Moto around. No doubt. But there’s more to the story.
The real worry is what sacrifices and changes they will do to Motorola’s future phone lineup and philosophy to attain the goal of profitability.
I agree. I think Moto will go back to making cheap crap for VZW under the Droid line instead of trying to go out on their own.
If moto could move to making just 2 phones a year, the X and the G they really could have cut down their costs while greatly simplifying and improving their marketing.
Instead they will simplify marketing and cut costs by being a brand under which Lenovo puts out cheap product for VZW to sell and market.
Well, the lenovo “ThinkPad” notebooks are sturdy and well done in general. Better IMHO than Dell and HP. I hope that they will keep that trend with Motorola. My main concern is software… The Moto X is almost stock with useful features and up to date with 4.4 in most phones. Lenovo Android phones are more skinned/bloated with older Android versions (And subpar mediatek SoCs).
The Moto X is probably my favorite Android phone of all time. It’s a shame it might now be RIP.
Why is it so much to ask for a near-stock Android phone that’ll get timely updates and isn’t absurdly big or wastes time with useless specs like a 400+ppi display?
The Moto X does almost everything right. Motorola should just make one phone and continue to improve it like Apple does. It’s heartbreaking, I can’t stand the giant GS4 with neon green touchwiz and there is nothing else.
The Nexus isn’t subsidized on Verizon and it costs $350+. My company uses Verizon so I won’t be switching and have no interest in buying my own cell service. So I’m stuck with Galaxy S and iPhone options for the near future.
Damn it Google. End rant.
Enter LG G2 Mini, or their flagship for the year. Then there’s HTC. It’s not so doom and gloom as you make it seem. At the very worst start buying unlocked devices and start rooting.
Subsidized phones are coming to an end. All I can say is good riddance.
Why not see if your company is will to reimburse phone costs. My does and it is based on the VZW price, so lots of folks are getting more than they actually pay.
I don’t care if Motorola turns around our not.. I don’t care of they introduce the next big thing… I am still dealing with the fact that we lost another American company.. having Americans go to China for work? that’s is so fucced up..I am a Google fan. but this transaction put a sour taste in my mouth.. think about how great it would of been if American Google brought back American Motorola….. definitely a triumph in American society… but I guess we will never know….
yes I up voted my own comment.. cause that $hit is real.
What makes you think americans are so special?
What makes it morally OK for an american company to have chinese workers but not for a chinese company have american workers.
Because we are scared of the implications
What implications?
I think, he is worried about the move of an american company that has american employees oversees… in exchange costing many americans jobs and further continuing this spiral of outsourcing.
He did not say that. Not at all.
I did not say it..but it’s another reason too though…
i guess i misunderstood… very well then. lol.
that’s another reason..bad enough our economy took a plunge. how does this help our economy?
Americans are special because I am american..we offer immigrants opportunity for better lives . freedom of speech..freedom to bear arms..freedom to protest.. freedom to practice any religion…do I really have to go on? having families migrate to another country just to keep a job is not ideal…the whole point is to make the American dream…not Chinese dream…
Who would be moving to China to keep a factory job?
They are not going to move the employees.
I’m quite sure Lenovo may offer perks for those who decide to go with company considering how hard it is to obtain a Job here in America.. also I wasn’t really focused on the factory itself..I’m talking mid-level and top-level management….and with that said..I’m done with this conversation I already said what I needed to say…
I am quite sure you are wrong.
What you needed to say was you have no idea what is going on and badly need to see the rest of the world.
Exactly. China is buying the US from within. It’s a smart move, but it’s one people need to realize. They are buying media, telecomm and real estate. They are also in heavily into our food supply at this point with frozen foods, fish and soon poultry. It’s a fact.
I take it you are too young to remember the 80s?
It was the Japanese who were supposedly buying up America then.
Quit whining.
No one is whining.
I made a simple statement. I do not feel americans no chinese are so superior that one always gets to be the boss and the other the worker. If you disagree you are simply a racist.
First and foremost everyone put your hands together for Google selling out American tech workers while they have BILLIONS in profit.
Next lets thank Motorola for putting out a phone that was too expensive for the specifications it had. Spend a TON of cash marketing and getting… no place.
Motorola had one shot to impress, they had to either come out with a cheap phone that did cool stuff OR come out with a mind blowing phone that did fantastic things.
They did neither, sad really lots of American jobs going to bite the dust.
I hope not. Chinese owned Moto. No thanks. Sell outs.