There’s quite the management shakeup currently unfolding at troubled PC maker Acer. Just over two weeks ago, longtime CEO JT Wang decided to resign following record losses. He was scheduled to be replaced by company president Jim Wong on January 1 but now, Wong has also resigned.
In a statement on the matter, Acer said the CEO position is being eliminated completely. We are told that former CEO duties will now fall on the chairman or president which is expected to boost the company’s decision making efficiency. In the interim, founder Stan Shih will temporarily return to take over leadership duties until a permanent replacement is named while Wang and Wong will remain with Acer as advisors.
Acer is just one of many PC makers that are feeling the financial effects of declining PC sales worldwide. They’ve traditionally sold products directly to consumers but like others, the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets will necessitate a change in their business model. Earlier this month, the company revealed they have formed a special committee tasked with revising their strategy led by Shih.
Analysts speculate that part of that new strategy must involve building premium consumer PCs, expanding into new geographic markets or jumping into the enterprise sector. I’d personally like to see Acer dedicate more efforts to their tablet business or perhaps become more serious about their smartphone division as other PC traditionalists like Lenovo are now doing.
