Android

HTC does US reorg, starts ’emerging devices’ division

Seth Weintraub | Jul 22 2013 - 2:12 am PT

[protected-iframe id=”368c21b46f615b0801a0d12a0034ba7a-22427743-13611283″ info=”http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-1D7A9C3D_5FC6_40EF_B27C_AD1B20A06973.html” width=”704″ height=”350″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

So HTC isn’t doing too well in the lucrative high end US smartphone market (or anywhere really). What to do? Reorganize!

If I were running the show, I’d move everyone in the Sense division into a new division called “Keeping the latest stock Android updates on all of our phones” and start up a new division called, “Make sure all of the carriers subsidize our Google Play devices so that customers can afford them”

Sadly, I’m not in charge and HTC CEO Peter Chou has appointed Jason Mackenzie to head US operations

“Effective immediately, in addition to his current duties in supporting me with global corporate strategy, [President of Global Sales] Jason Mackenzie will lead HTC America,” HTC’s chief executive, Peter Chou, told employees in an internal email Sunday. “[President of North America] Mike Woodward will lead Emerging Devices, a newly established business unit that will focus on innovative new HTC products and global distribution strategies.”

Mackenzie seems like a fine fellow, but it’s clear that it’s HTC’s strategy, not its org chart, that’s in need of a rework. Whoever is in the “Let’s make Facebook Phones” mindset needs to be shown the door.

What has to be incredibly frustrating to HTC is that while they were off making stupid gimmick Facebook phones and pissing off Google (after pioneering the G1 and Nexus One), Samsung swooped in and stole HTC’s early lead in Android devices by simply making things that people want and marketing them aggressively.

Giving people different bosses isn’t going to change that and its hard to imagine HTC’s fortunes getting any better (even though they make the best Android handset on the market).