5 Technology Boss Who Was Fired From His Own Company, Apple Founder Is On The List

Steve Jobs is one of the technology bosses who has been fired from his own company (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

YOGYAKARTA Founders and leaders of technology companies should be the most powerful people for their business operations. However, in practice it doesn't always work like that. A number of names are known to have been forced to leave the company they founded. So, who are the technology bosses who have been fired from their own companies? Let's see the information.

Summarized from various sources, Friday, January 5, 2024, here are 5 technology bosses who have been fired from their own companies:

1. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is one of the leading figures in the technology industry. He is a key figure behind the business of apple inc.

However, Steve Jobs apparently couldn't secure his position in the company he founded. In 1985, or nine years after establishing Apple, he was fired.

The dismissal occurred due to a dispute with Apple's CEO at the time, Jhon Sculley, regarding his computer. The device, which was introduced in the 1980s, experienced poor sales, and Jobs believes the reason is because the device price is too high. Meanwhile, Sculley argues that Jobs is throwing away resources by spending money on expensive products.

At that time, the board of directors gave support to Sculley to fire Jobs from his managerial role. Jobs' departure became a crucial moment in Apple Inc's history because the company was experiencing difficulties without his leadership.

Years later, in 1997 to be precise, Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Jobs is back through Apple's acquired Next. Next is a computer company that Jobs founded during his dismissal from Apple.

2. Jack Ma

Jack Ma is a technology boss who has been fired from his own company. Earlier this year, Jack Ma was fired from Ant Group, a company made by himself engaged in financial technology (fintech).

For information, Ant Group is a company that develops Alipay, a very popular digital wallet platform in China.

Ant Group said it had removed Jack Ma's role as the company's dominant controller.

The Alibaba founder was fired from Ant Group for criticizing the Chinese government about the financial system. The criticism was delivered in 2020 and the impact is still being felt today.

After Jack Ma was sacked from Ant Group, the Central Bank of China removed the status of Alipay's controlling shareholder in China.

3. Sandy Lerner

Sandy Lerner is one of the founders of Cisco Systems. The global telecommunications company was founded by Lerner with Leonard Bosack in 1984. However, six years later, Sandy Lerner was kicked from Cisco.

This dismissal occurred due to a conflict between Lerner and the board of directors regarding the company's future direction. Sandy Lerner is reportedly more focused on developing innovative technologies, including routers and switches. Meanwhile, Cisco's board of directors is more inclined to a more business-oriented approach.

Not only that, the dismissal of Lerner was allegedly due to tensions related to the company's management and culture style.

4. Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsililie

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie are founders and bosses of a mobile phone company that boomed in 2010 and 2009, BlackBerry (formerly Research In Motion/RIM).

Lazaridis and Balsillie were fired from the company when BlackBerry phones had difficulty competing with Android and iPhone devices. The dominance of these two smartphones makes BlackBerry contract quite deeply.

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie received strong criticism for being considered slow in responding to market trends. In addition, they are also considered to have failed in innovating and adapting.

The peak occurred in 2011, amid a decline in sales and market share, Lazaridis and Balsille were forced to resign as Co-CEO and had to hand over control of the company to Thorsten Heins.

This dismissal is considered an attempt to save the company. However, on its way, BlackBerry continues to face difficulties in dealing with Android and iPhone dominance.

5. Sam Altman

Sam Altman is the figure behind OpenAI's business, the company that develops artificial intelligence-based chatbots, ChatGpt.

The story of Sam Altman's dismissal simply circulated several years ago. On November 17, 2023, Altman was kicked from OpenAI by the board of directors because he was considered not open in communicating.

The board of directors assessed that Altman hampered their ability to see the performance and responsibility of leading the company.

This decision received protests from many parties, ranging from investors to OpenAI employees. In fact, a number of employees threatened to leave the company if Sam Altman did not return to the company.

After being fired, the position left by Altman at OpenAI was filled by the former Twitch CEO, Emmet Shear. He is the interim CEO at OpenAI.

Microsoft took advantage of this drama. The company created by Bill Gates recruited Altman to become a leader in the AI research division. Sam Altman was announced to join Microsoft on November 20, 2023.

However, shortly after that, on November 22, OpenAI announced that Altman would return to be CEO.

Next, on November 29, Sam Altman officially returned to OpenAI as CEO. Sam Altman's return was accompanied by an overhaul to the board of directors as requested.

That's information about a technology boss who has been fired from his own company. Get news updates of other options only on VOI.ID.