Problems in SUSE (According to Former Employee, Mr. Lunduke) and openSUSE Conference 2023
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SUSE CEO out effective immediately, replacement CEO not available until later.
A failed IPO, political attacks, and purchased "awards" are the legacy of the departing CEO of the oldest Linux company.
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openSUSE Conference 2023: May 26-28 in Nuremberg, Germany – Call for Proposals
This year’s openSUSE Conf of the openSUSE community will be held at the Z-Bau in Nuremberg, from Friday, May 26 to Sunday, May 28. The Call for Proposals (CFP) is already open, and the submission period will close on April 09.
UPDATE:
SUSE's statement:
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SUSE S.A. appoints Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen as new CEO
A veteran of the enterprise software industry, Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen has spent nearly two decades at Red Hat, a global leader in open source solutions. Since joining Red Hat in 2004, he has held various senior management positions overseeing sales, marketing and operations, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Manager of North America, and before that of APAC.
Melissa Di Donato, the current CEO, has decided to step down as she embarks on the next chapter of her career. Under her leadership SUSE listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2021 and became one of Europe’s most valuable public software companies. During her tenure, SUSE has also completed the strategic acquisitions of Rancher and NeuVector, which position the Company strongly in the high growth markets of container management and security. SUSE has increased its revenues by over 60% and its adjusted EBITDA by over 70% under Melissa Di Donato’s leadership.
A puff piece:
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Will New CEO Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen Bring ‘Open Source Way’ Magic to SUSE?
As Red Hat slowly loses its open culture under IBM's ownership, SUSE might be set to finally become an important global open-source player, but only if its board allows the former Red Hatter who will take the helm on May 2 to bring "the open source way" to a secretive and "top-down" corporate culture.
SJVN's version of things:
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Linux power SUSE appoints New CEO Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen
Europe's leading Linux company, SUSE, has announced that veteran Unix and Linux executive Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen will take over as its CEO starting May 1, 2023. Melissa Di Donato, the current CEO, is stepping down immediately to pursue the next chapter of her career. During the transition, CFO Andy Myers will serve as interim CEO alongside his CFO role.
Why this sudden change in leadership? We don't know. Di Donato was a good CEO. She oversaw the successful acquisition of Rancher Labs in 2020. This positioned SUSE as a serious Kubernetes services contender. For any software infrastructure business to be taken seriously in 2023, it must have a strong Kubernetes position. During her tenure, SUSE's revenues increased by over 60% and its adjusted EBITDA by over 70%.