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Ars Technica reports that Cyanogen Inc. reportedly fires OS development arm, switches to apps:
Cyanogen Inc. seems to be in trouble. A report from Android Police cites "several sources" that say the three-year-old Android software house will be laying off 20 percent of its workforce. One source said the company would "pivot" to "apps" and away from OS development.
"Cyanogen" branding can be confusing, so here's a quick glossary before we get started:
- Cyanogen—A person. Steve Kondik. The guy that originally started CyanogenMod.
- CyanogenMod—A free, open source, OS heavily based on Android and compatible with hundreds of devices. Anyone can download and flash the OS to a compatible device.
- Cyanogen OS—A for-profit OS that OEMs can purchase and ship on devices. It's the CyanogenMod codebase with some proprietary features on top and update support from Cyanogen Inc.
- Cyanogen Inc.—A for-profit company that aims to sell Cyanogen OS to OEMs. Formed with key members from the open-source project.
- Cyanogen Mods—Cyanogen Inc.'s proprietary app platform for Cyanogen OS.
The Android Police report says "roughly 30 out of the 136 people Cyanogen Inc. employs" are being cut, and that the layoffs "most heavily impact the open source arm" of the company. Android Police goes on to say that CyanogenMod development by Cyanogen Inc "may be eliminated entirely." The community could continue to develop CyanogenMod, but it seems many of the core CyanogenMod developers at the company will no longer be paid to work on CyanogenMod.
The story reports that, after a long executive retreat for Cyanogen Inc.'s company leaders, layoffs were conducted without advance notice.Imagine coming in to work to discover that a generic human resources meeting had been added to your schedule the night before — and in the meeting find out your were being laid off.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @12:13PM
A year ago, Microsoft invests in Cyanogen. [cyngn.com]
And now they are dumping their OS development which was the one thing that made them unique.
Embrace
Extend
Extinguish
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Kilo110 on Sunday July 24 2016, @01:47PM
Is MS even to blame this time? From what I recall Cyanogen shot their own foot when they reneged on their deal with One Plus and gave an exclusive with Micromax. What OEM will do business with you after that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @01:57PM
Is MS even to blame this time?
This doesn't just happen to happen to everything Microsoft invests in or acquires. Here's a simple test:
1 - Does a company test positive for Microsoft ownership or investment?
1a - If no, praise your deity of choice and go on about your day.
1b - If yes, please choose on of the following:
2a - Embraced
2b - Extended
2c - Extinguished
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @02:54PM
We really have no idea how much MS is involved. For all we know, that OEM licensing decision was the result of MS's influence too.
All we've got to go on are the external facts and in this case we see MS get involved, the business turns towards MS's interests and then the business starts to go downhill. We aren't quite to the extinguish part for the company as a whole, but they have clearly aborted all of their work that was not directly beneficial to MS.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by cubancigar11 on Sunday July 24 2016, @04:33PM
One Plus made deal for exclusive rights of Cyanogen where they were selling - China, some European countries and USA.
Cyanogen made deal with Micromax which was valid only in India.
Then one fine day One Plus management found that India is a huge market, bigger than USA or Europe combined, and they were stupid to ignore it. So they launched their phone in India and... sued Micromax for selling cyanogen? And believe me, people buy good hardware in countries like India, not barely working software called cyanogen.
One Plus wasn't selling in India for some reason. Go figure. If I have to make a guess I will say they were under the impression that India is huge toilet like a lot of white people still believe. Can we just agree that the way they ran their business was shitty? Even the invitations they sent were region locked.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 25 2016, @12:18AM
India isn't one huge toilet? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-rejects-the-toilet-how-government-sanitation-drives-have-failed-to-sway-those-who-believe-10466041.html [independent.co.uk]
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Monday July 25 2016, @04:20AM
Red-herring. One Plus isn't in the business of installing toilets, it is in business of selling phones. And Indians are crazy for phone [unu.edu]. Ignoring that market was just stupid.
Phone is a tool for economic upliftment. Toilet is health safety. Indians sacrifice personal health for small gains, like a lot of us sacrifice mean health via spreading pollution for bigger gains.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday July 25 2016, @03:56PM
So you brought up the red herring yourself?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 25 2016, @09:53AM
You're right it's not, it has designated shitting streets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @07:23PM
The open source version is getting axed, I'm pretty sure their Cmod OS is going to keep on kicking. FOR PROFITTTT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSO9OFJNMBA [youtube.com]