Sansar's Owner, Wookey, In Lawsuit By Former CEO

 

Lately, things haven't been looking very good for Sansar. The "next generation virtual world" created by Linden Lab and going online in 2017, had struggled to find an audience and in 2020 the Lab would sell it to Wookey Technologies. In recent weeks, the place has been described as "on life support" with the workers furloughed and it's Umbra license expired. Then on Dec 22, it was knocked offline for a day. The cause of that has yet to be determined.

As it turns out, this isn't the only problem going on with Wookey. It seems they're in a legal dispute with a former CEO of theirs, John Fried. The "Wrongful Discharge" suit started in April 2020, not long after Wookey bought Sansar. He is demanding one million dollars. As of November, it was headed to a jury trial set for June 27, 2022.

Inara Pey states that the company has a net worth of about 3.78 million, "a judgement made in favour of Mr. Fried, it could put a significant dent in the company’s finances." Needless to say, the future of Sansar is looking more troubled.

Source: Modem World, Superior Court of California

Bixyl Shuftan
 

News and Commentary: Looking Back At Ebbe Altberg

 

When Ebbe Altberg was made CEO of Linden Lab in February 2014, the reception overall seemed to be cautious optimism. Under the direction of Rod Humble, the Lab had gotten itself out of financial difficulties. But not all was well. The events in which Lindens and Residents met up were gone and there was talk of a "no fratenization" policy. With the Terms of Service controversy, some content creators were worried the vauge language in one part of the ToS gave the Lab the right to claim their content to claim and sell as their own. A few were leaving to the Opensim grids, notably InWorldz. While Linden Lab had made or bought a number or spinoff products, only one was making much money. Ebbe Linden, as he was soon known, would later say, "when I came here, the users were a little bit angry (and) there was a disconnect between the Lab and ... the residents," and that some of the Lab's policies "didn't make much sense."

But in April, he got attention and praise for speaking plainly about the Terms of Service issue, and in months the controversial wording was changed to the satisfaction of most residents. Communication between the Residents and the Lindens improved greatly under him, with "Meet the Lindens" events at the Second Life Birthday, and also the Best Practices in Education event, as well as occasional Town Hall meetings. He was a believer in making an effort for transparency and openness.

Under Ebbe Altberg, Second Life's long slow decline in terms of both sims and active users would halt, and eventually began to grow again. While practically everyone appreciated that, some weren't so sure about another move of the Lab's under Ebbe Linden's watch: the way residents in Second Life paid money to them. Sim tiers were reduced, as well as set-up fees, making land cheaper to get and more importantly cheaper to keep. But Linden Lab had to make up the money somewhere, and did so by increasing the fees to buy Linden dollars. This was the equivalent of reducing real-estate taxes but raising sales taxes. Some residents complained. Others had mixed feelings as even if they didn't own a sim, their favorite places were more likely to last. Under his watch, the Tila company was created. Eventually, it would not only handle Second Life's money transactions, but also Sansar's and a third virtual world: Upland.

Under Ebbe Linden, the Lindens were able to accomplish what under his prececessor they couldn't: bring back last names for accounts; or rather, make last names an option by allowing residents to change them. Some resident's had mixed opinions due to the high fee, and to a lesser extent the choices available (which in my opinion were reasonble ones, given the Lab's options). But overall the residents were happy.

When he was interviewed by Hamlet Au in 2019, at times Ebbe Altberg seemed to have an understanding of Second Life that previous CEOs Mark Kingdom and Rod Humble lacked, at one point commenting it was his opinion "Adult" marked sims didn't always mean X-rated activities, but that the users valued their privacy. He also expressed an enthusiam for it at times, supposedly saying "We are still the s**t when it comes to virtual worlds."

Not everything went well under Ebbe Altberg. It was under his watch that a customer service mishap caused the end of the SS Galaxy as an active area. While preserved by the Lab, it would never be the active resident-run place it was. A similar mishap caused the first Steelhead community to fold. Another customer service mishap almost caused the end of the noted Grendles mall, but the actions of residents saved it. One controversial move was the banning of Linden resellers, making resident-run Linden exchange services no longer permitted. While the idea for Sansar came about under the previous CEO, it was under Ebbe Altberg in which it came about. But Second Life residents were unimpressed and only a handful of people were spending much time there. While a few felt it was an idea worth trying, most residents saw Sansar as a mistake, and the reaction to it's sale was along the lines of "It's about time." Linden Lab would also see a couple rounds of layoffs, related to Sansar's lack of success.

Two moves later in Ebbe Altberg's term also got some controversy from the residents. One was the move of Second Life's data to Amazon Cloud servers. Altberg's Lab stated that it would eventually improve performance and allow for a reduction in fees. But as the move was being done, there were a number of bugs and glitches that the residents openly complained about, and the Lab had to acknowledge and ask for patience. Today, while some residents say there's been some improvement, notably with sim crossings, others say they've only noticed continued glitches such as inventory issues.

And then there was the sale of Linden Lab to a team of investors. Under the terms, Linden Lab would retain a good deal of autonomy and continue to make just about all of it's decisions on it's own. And no doubt this meant more money for the Lab to continue to improve and develop Second Life. But naturally many residents were very worried, some fearing the new owners were only out for a quick buck and jack up tier and fees while cutting development and customer service, or worse. But a year later, the virtual world continues to run smoothly.

There have been numerous comments on the SL forums. Among them: Prokofy Neva, "I remember my main impression was that he was normal. Normal! That may seem funny, but we have had some rather eccentric leaders, who could get pretty wild, and while that is good in the early start-up stages, at some point the grown-up has to come along." ArgontheDevil Ormega, "He understood that SL was unlike any other business in that the relationship between the Lab and the Residents was not purely business.  That is why we mourn his passing.  He was not just the CEO of the company.  He was, in a very real sense, one of us." Trinity Yazimoto, " Ebbe arrived with a positive and friendly attitude (at the opposite of his predecessor). He was humble and open mind. Ebbe gave back SL its stability. Ebbe made SL a better place and i will remember him for this."

While the cause of Ebbe's passing has not been officially released, it has been made known he was sick for two years. But instead of stepping down, he continued to run the company. Inara Pey would write, "It is clear that illness did not in any way blunt his determination." Hamlet Au would comment, "One insider told me that his illness didn't undo him, but rather, gave him a serene confidence in his mission and his life course." Eventually, he would make fewer appearances inworld, his last one being at Oz Linden's retirement party in February 2021. And his last comment on his Twitter was in November last year. He would not speak at the Education conference in March, Patch Linden taking the lead instead.

Linden Lab founder Philip Rosedale was quoted by Hamlet Au as saying, "I can't say enough about Ebbe. He was such a warm, smart, optimistic person who was loved by everyone he came into contact with. I will miss him a lot, and we were so lucky to have him."

So in conclusion, Ebbe Altberg made a good CEO of Linden Lab. Not everything under him went perfectly, but under his leadership Second Life bounced back from it's slow decline and went on the upswing. The virtual world is doing better and it's future is looking better than in over a decade. Second Life still faces some challenges, such as the question of will those who returned during the Pandemic stay and the increasing popularity of VRChat among younger users of virtual worlds. But Ebbe Altberg's time at the helm of the Lab can only be considered a success.

"Sleep well Ebbe, thank you for everything."

Other tributes: Daniel Voyager, Moden World, New World Notes

SL Forums: RIP Mr. Altberg

Bixyl Shuftan
 

More On Ebbe Altberg's Passing

 Since the announcement of Linen Lab's CEO Ebbe Altberg yesterday, there have been numerous tributes to him. On the Relay track, someone placed his Linden bear next to a luminary (picture from Trader Whiplash). 

 
At the Linden Memorial Park sim, both Moles, Lindens, and regular residents gathered at the central area as a way of paying respects. The sim was often packed, and people sometimes had to wait to come in.

While the statement from Linden Lab did not mention how Ebbe Altberg died, talking to some people, the cause of death was given as cancer. Ebbe had been sick for some time, and chose not to have anything revealed about it. His last appearance inworld was the retirement party for Oz Linden on February 23. He made no posts on his Twitter since November.

There is a post on the official forums (link). 

Patch Linden stated inworld that there will be a memorial for Ebbe Altberg at the Second Life Birthday, and eventually there will be a permanent one inworld. There has been no announcement yet of who the next CEO will be, and there may not be one for days or weeks. 

Stay tuned for more information

Bixyl Shuftan
 

BREAKING NEWS: Linden Lab Announces CEO Ebbe Altberg Has Died

 

Ebbe Altberg, Linden Lab's CEO, is gone. He passed away on the afternoon of Thursday June 3.

This afternoon, Patch Linden posted the news on the official blog:

As I am here before you today, it is with profound sadness that I share with you Ebbe passed away yesterday evening restfully and surrounded by the love of his family. 

I commit to all of you to carry forward with our mission of making Second Life the biggest, best, most vibrant virtual world that there ever can be.  Together, myself, Grumpity, and Brett, along with Oberwolf at the helm and the entire team, our mission is clear.  To grow Second Life and to ensure the Residents in Second Life continue to be respected and happy.

No cause of death was listed. Ebbe was in his mid-fifties.

Stay tuned for further details.

Running Into CEO Ebbe Linden

Yesterday afternoon, Monday October 6 begining at 2PM, there was an early showing of Designing World's 250th episode, an interview of Ebbe Linden (Ebbe Altberg), the CEO of Linden Lab by Saffia Widdershins and Erik Merlin. About 3:39, who should show up but Ebbe Linden himself for a Q&A session.

Stay tuned for details of what took place.

A transcript of the interview is available on Modem World. 

Eye On The Blog: Hello from Linden Lab’s New CEO

As Linden Lab’s new CEO, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to you all - I’m Ebbe Altberg, aka Ebbe Linden in Second Life (although I’ve been advised by many of you to use an alt when cruising around). You can find my official bio on LindenLab.com, and there’s a nice piece with a bit more about my background and experience over on Inara Pey’s blog, Living in a Modem World (I offered a few clarifications in this comment there).

Why did I choose to take this on? I did it because I love the idea behind our products, what you can do with them, and the potential for what we can become. I studied fine arts and computer science, and I find creating digital products and services a creative blend that I absolutely love. For me then, the creative and empowering technologies and marketplaces Linden Lab are creating are just incredible materials to work with. I have a huge belief that we can do great things together. Great for you, for Linden Lab, and for our investors. Linden has learned a ton that few companies have ever had the opportunity to learn when it comes to empowering people to contribute in creative ways and collaborate with a global online community. It’s unique.

I don’t really consider myself a ‘gamer,’ but I also don’t think that ‘game’ would describe Second Life either, and I’ve found Second Life intriguing for a long time. In addition to having personally explored the virtual world a bit back when it first started (of course I’m diving in more now), my son was a very active Resident as a teenager, and I’ve been consistently impressed by the incredible things the Second Life community creates. I’m proud to be joining the team that enables this level of creativity, and as I said in our press release, I’m committed to supporting our customers to help you become even more successful.  

Many of you have been very kind in welcoming me via Twitter (I’m @ebbealtberg there), and I’ve read quite a few thoughtful blog posts and forum threads offering advice and raising some issues to my attention - thank you for that! I’ll continue to read all that I can (although I won’t always be able to respond to everything), and I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with Second Life and its communities through both personal experience inworld and communication with you and my colleagues.  

There are big opportunities ahead as we further improve and grow Second Life, and I’m looking forward to our future together.

See you inworld!

Ebbe Linden

*  *  *  *  *

From the Linden Blog post Here.

For the discussion thread in the official forums, Click Here. 

Image Credit: LaFlecha via Inara Pey 

"What (Do) You Want to Ask Ebbe Altberg, New CEO of Linden Lab?"

It looks like Linden Lab's new CEO will be meeting up with one of Second Life's residents for a discussion, Jo Yardley of the 1920s Berlin Project, and more recently one of the people behind the Drax Files Radio hour. She posted about it on her blog, and invited readers to offer questions to ask (link).

I’ve been invited to have a chat with Ebbe Altberg, the brand new CEO of Linden Lab.

I have of course a big pile of questions and there probably is not enough time to ask them all, but I wanted to give the readers of this blog a chance to ask him some as well.

So, leave your question to mr Altberg in the comments section below and if I get the chance I’ll ask it.

So, what would you ask the new boss of Linden Lab?

Breaking News: Linden Lab Appoints Ebbe Altberg as CEO

By Bixyl Shuftan

Earlier today, Linden Lab broke two weeks of silence about it's search for a new CEO with a press release. They had chosen Ebbe Altberg to lead the company.

“We remain committed to world-changing innovation from Linden Lab,” said Jed Smith of the company’s Board of Directors. “We’re keenly focused on providing incredible experiences for all of our customers, and Ebbe is the perfect person to help lead our team as we continue to serve and grow our global audience of active users."

Altberg describes himself in his LinkedIn account as having "Over 20 years experience managing teams that define, produce, and operate world class software." His most recent position was that of Chief Operations Officer at BranchOut, a Facebook ap designed for finding jobs and recruiting potential employees. Before that, he was the Senior VP of Media Engineering at Yahoo from 2010-2012, and "VP Head of Audience, EMEA" also at Yahoo from 2008 to 2010. Prior to that, he was the Chief Product Officer at Ingenio, a telecommunications company that was later bought by AT&T. From 1988 to 2000, he worked "various program management and product unit management positions" at Microsoft.

Besides English, Altberg descibes himself as proficient in Swedish.

Several people on LinkedIn had words to say about Altberg. Among them was Phillippe Cassereau, the Vice President of Technology at Disney whom while working at Yahoo answered to him, "Ebbe is a very strong business and product leader able to filter the noise and distill a crisp vision and direction for his team. He was instrumental in shifting the thinking in Yahoo Media from being vertically silo'ed to instead a strong platform SaaS horizontal approach at global scale. As a manager, Ebbe is able to inspire action and results without micro-managing his staff and trusting his teams to figure out the details, while setting a consistent direction and vision for his organization. He has great skills at filtering through the minutia and details of running a large organization and zeroing instead quickly of what is really important for the business."

Blair Jeffris, the CEO of the online advertising company Retargeter whom "worked with" Altberg at Ingenio, had this to say, "Ebbe was instrumental in Ingenio’s success. From start-up through acquisition eight years later, I don’t think anybody at Ingenio worked harder than Ebbe. He built teams that developed great products and kept complex systems running around the clock. He keeps his cool and a sense of humor and is well-liked and respected throughout the organization. Good times through tough times Ebbe is a guy you want on your team."

Ray Johnson, who became Ingenio's Senior Technology Excecutive, wrote, "Ingenio has an awesome culture of honesty, transparency, straight forwardness, respectfulness and common sense. No one was more responsible for instilling that culture at Ingenio than Ebbe. He has an amazing ability to help find a path out of the stickiest of situations with everyone feeling the better for it. Ebbe also has some pretty mad ping-pong skills!"

These glowing reviews, and others, explain why Altberg looked good to Linden Lab. As to the question of how much he'll be communicating with the residents, he's answered a few questions via twitter, saying of having a meet and greet with Second Life residents "Absolutely." Of if there will be a Ebbe Linden account, "Start on Monday."

Can Linden Lab's fourth CEO help lead the company, and Second Life, into an era of prosperity? Hopefully he can succeed where Mark Kingdom and Rod Humble did not.

One can send a message to Ebbe Altberg via Twitter (here).

Sources: Linden Lab, Jo Yardley, LinkedIn,



Bixyl Shuftan

Commentary: Rod Humble / Rodvik Linden as CEO of Linden Lab

When it was announced in late December 2010 that Rod Humble would be Linden Lab's new CEO, the reaction from Second Life residents was overall positive, from some even enthusiastic. The year before had seen a number of setbacks for Linden Lab and the Grid. A third of the company's staff had been laid off in it's "restructuring." Popular personnel such as Blue, Teegan, Pathfinder, Qarl Linden and others were shown the door. Overseas offices were closed down, rerouting all calls for technical help to America, which gave some residents from outside the US the Lab was turning its back on them. The fifty percent discount for nonprofit and educational areas was suddenly ended, despite Philip Linden and Linden Lab long touting Second Life as a place for learning. It was announced the Teen Grid would be closing down, and people worried that this would soon mean censorship or residents getting arrested in real life due to angry parents. These and other moves caused the morale of residents to sink. Rumors floated around Linden Labs was looking for a buyer. Some thought Second Life was headed for collapse, one publication saying the virtual world was on it's "death throes."

Rod Humble's resume was an impressive one, having worked for over twenty years in the computer gaming industry. Among his roles were his work on the Everquest multiplayer online game, and working on "The Sims." In 2009, Edge Magazine listed him as #2 of its “Hot 100 Game Developers.” Philip Rosedale / Philip Linden, whom had been acting as interim CEO after the unpopular M Linden stepped down, stated, “Rod is a great new leader for Linden Lab. ... With Rod's fresh insights and deep experience in creating and leading the development of fun, intuitive, immersive entertainment experiences that have attracted massive audiences of loyal users, he's the right leader to understand what makes us special and bring the next level of growth to Second Life."

Rod Humble looked forward to the job, "Joining Linden Lab is a very exciting opportunity, ... . Second Life is unique: it sits at the intersection of virtual worlds, avatars, and human contact. The Residents and developers of Second Life have built something very special, I am honored to join the talented team at Linden Lab to help expand this new frontier." A few residents questioned if someone from the gaming industry was truly the right choice, Second Life being a "sandbox" which was open ended and most games having fixed parameters on what one could do. But most were happy with the Linden's choice for new CEO, feeling he could deliver Second Life a shot in the arm and not only halt it's decline, but set it on course to growth again.

Rod Humble, who became known as Rodvik Linden, gave the impression of wanting to connect with the residents. He spent some time inworld, building a little, and on some occasions interacted with residents, such as his appearance at the Second Life Eighth Birthday, and more recently his trips to Bay City and 1920s Berlin. He also strived to "put the Lab back into Linden Lab," and Second Life's grid would see a number of developments with the goal of improving user experiences, such as "Project Shinning." He also had Linden Lab both acquire and develop several products, such as the Minecraft-like "Patterns" and the kid-friendly "Blocksworld." Probably their most important acquisition was "Desura," a distribution platform with a focus on smaller games from independent companies, or "indie" games. For better or worse, Second Life would no longer be the only product in Linden Lab's line-up. While residents on the whole understood how a diverse platform would mean a more stable financial footing, some worried this was a sign of the Lab leaving them behind.

Residents were generally happy during Rodvik's first year, although some felt the Lab was slow to act on the Redzone controversy. But in 2012, some actions (and non-actions) began to raise a few eyebrows. Official Linden events such as the "Kiss a Linden" on Valentines Day and the "Winterfest" with its "Linden Snowball Fight" were gone. Even the Second Life Birthday was no longer being sponsored by Linden Lab, the statement from the company suggesting the various communities should hold their own celebrations. To residents, it seemed like the Lab was distancing itself from the residents, only occasionally emerging from it's "bunker" to make reports with no name attached. Third-party viewers found themselves under pressure from Linden Lab, ordering them not to include features not on the official viewer, even if it was being researched in beta, what some viewer developers saw as the Lab saying "screw you" and people worried some teams would leave Second Life. Indeed at one meeting when one viewer team member hinted about leaving, a Linden answered "don't let the door hit you on the way out." Project Shinning, while approved by those with newer computers, those with older machines often complained their inworld experiences were becoming slower and laggier, not better.

In 2013 came two changes to the terms of service that raised not just concern but alarm. In spring, Linden Lab ordered third party Linden exchange services to cease operations, saying only their Lindex could buy and sell its virtual currency. Residents expressed alarm, some saying the Lindex often took a long time to make its transactions, and some overseas would not or could not use it, and there was some talk among some people leaving. Linden Lab would partially reverse course, saying third party exchangers could sell Lindens, but only Lindex could buy them back. Then in the Fall, with no other announcement than residents being asked to sign the Terms of Service upon logging in, it was noticed that the ToS had changed in regards to content creators, some interpreting them as to say the Lab could sell residents' content at any time without any input from the makers or offer a cent in compensation. At least two texture websites stated their goods could no longer be used in Second Life. Some content creators stopped creating and stated they would make no more until the terms would change. A few would move to other virtual worlds, such as InWorldz, which between Project Shinning and the ToS controversy saw people from Second Life getting accounts, and raising it's membership to 90,000 on paper. Second Life now now had small but growing competition from other virtual worlds. Residents repeatedly asked Linden Lab to change this part of the ToS back, but although Linden Lab issued a statement saying they regretted the confusion, they would not alter the few lines that had caused so much trouble. At least one resident commented Rodvik was partially to blame, saying his experience in the gaming industry made him inflexible in dealing with a product in which his company did not own most of the content.

It seemed the man whose arrival was greeted with cheers was now being seen, at least by some, as part of the problem.

In the midst of this were stories going around of some henious griefing incidents, such as the sim-crasher attacks on the Junkyard Blues club, with Linden Lab doing next to nothing about them. Indeed there were rumors that the dismissal of one Linden was because a griefer had complained, and so others were afraid to act. Fortunatetly later in the year, the Lab appeared to be doing more about griefers.

In contrast to M. Linden's departure, Rodvik's announcement was greeted with surprise, and maybe a little sadness. That there was no announcement for a week until Rod Humble himself told others did raise a few eyebrows, but the big news was that the head of Linden Labs for three years was gone. On a thread in the official forums, residents time and time again wished him well with whatever endeavor he was headed to. Of his performance, some thought he did great, a few thought he did poorly, the plurality seemed to feel he did an overall good job with some setbacks.

I think he did a good enough job considering the circumstances and the state of SL when he took over. When he was hired I would not have believed he would take the company as far as 2014. For a while there he seemed to breathe a bit of life and drive back into LL even if it was partially focused on products other than SL. Unfortunately LL and SL in particular needed someone to do more than just a "good enough" job. SL needed a visionary that would revitalise, if not revolutionise the whole product in order to regain the mass appeal we experienced during the boom years. Rod completely failed to deliver there. I wish him the best of luck.

And so Linden Lab's third CEO heads off into the sunset, leaving behind a virtual world no longer on the brink, but whose long term problems remain.

Other Comments: Daniel Voyager, Inara Pey. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Let's help our new CEO!

Rod Humble was recently hired as the new CEO of Linden Lab. I know of his work from past personal experience and I am enthusiastic about his ability to affect positive change for Second Life. Having had some recent dialog with him and reflecting on the nature of Second Life I quickly came to the conclusion that he will need the assistance of communities of people within to help provide information and ideas. As a representative of the Surreal communities, I would like to ask for input on ideas for proposed changes, thoughts, concerns, features and general thoughts regarding Second Life from anyone who wishes to provide input. I will be compiling and organizing this information to present it on our behalf, making it available for review and finally submitting it to him. Anyone who wishes to get involved send information to me via notecard with a naming convention of "CEO - my name".

Thanks :) -Cerze Ophelia

Linden Lab Annouces Rod Humble New CEO

On December 23rd on the official blog, BK Linden announced Linden Lab would have a new Cheif Executive Officer, starting mid-January. They had chosen Rod Humble, whom would be joining Linden Lab from Electronic Arts, where he had been Executive Vice President of EA Play.

Linden Lab's official statement described Humble as having a “20-year career in the game development industry,” with “work on more than 200 games.” He is most noted for his work on “The Sims,” in 2009 ranked seond on Edge magazine’s “Hot 100 Game Developers.” Before that, he was Vice President of Product Development for the online game “EverQuest,” which was the most popular MORPG before “World of Warcraft.”

Philip Rosedale stated, “Rod is a great new leader for Linden Lab. ... With Rod's fresh insights and deep experience in creating and leading the development of fun, intuitive, immersive entertainment experiences that have attracted massive audiences of loyal users, he's the right leader to understand what makes us special and bring the next level of growth to Second Life."

Humble’s words on the press release were, "Joining Linden Lab is a very exciting opportunity, ... have a long standing interest in the how the boundaries of society and economics change as communications evolve in new ways. Second Life is unique: it sits at the intersection of virtual worlds, avatars, and human contact. The Residents and developers of Second Life have built something very special, I am honored to join the talented team at Linden Lab to help expand this new frontier."

Humble will not be availale for interviews until some time after the New Year begins.

For the entry on the Linen Blog, Click Here. For the official press release, Click Here. To watch an interview of Rod Humble done in August about Electronic Arts' "Create," Click Here. For a list of some of the games to Rod Humble's credit, Click Here.

Picture from mobygames.com

BREAKING NEWS: Philip Linden to Step Down as CEO, BK Linden to Lead Linden Labs Durring Search

After about four months as interim CEO, working closely with Bob Komin, the management team, and the board, we've decided we are ready to start the search for a new CEO. I'll be leaving day-to-day management of the company and continuing in my role on the board, including helping in the search to find a great CEO. I will also be continuing my work with my new company, LoveMachine. Bob will lead Linden Lab while we conduct the search. It's been an intense few months of transition, and we all feel like we are in a better place now, with a clearer sense of direction and more focus, and are ready to bring someone new into the mix as a leader.

From the Linden Blog.

BREAKING NEWS: M Linden to "Step Down," Philip to Return

In a statement on the Linden blog, Philip Linden announced that M would be resigning his post as Chief Executive Officer of Linden Labs, and would be taking the position of "interim" CEO. Bob Komin, former Chief Financial Officer, would be promoted to Chief Operations Officer and work "side by side" with Philip.

This is a big, tough change but one the board of directors and management team deeply believes in. We owe Mark great thanks for the many things we've accomplished in these last two years -- most notably a great improvement in the stability of Second Life, and also the hiring and nurturing of a strong team of new leaders who are now ready to do some amazing work together.

Our thinking as a team is that my returning to the CEO job now can bring a product and technology focus that will help rapidly improve Second Life. We need to simplify and focus our product priorities -- concentrating all our capabilities on making Second Life easier to use and better for the core experiences that it is delivering today. I think that I can be a great help and a strong leader in that process.

It is an honor to have a chance to help more directly again, and I come to this mission with energy, excitement, and an open mind about what we need and how we need to do it. I want to see Second Life continue to grow, amaze, and change the world. It's what gets me up in the morning. Despite the challenges of such a big change, I am happy to be drafting this blog post while sitting in our San Francisco office, surrounded by the many Lindens who have made it all possible.

More to come, as soon as we all get settled and figure out how best to work together!

Details are still coming in as to yet another major news story in what has been a month full of surprises for Second Life.