ARC leaks yet another top executive

ARC leaks yet another top executive
By Anthony Clark, EE Times UK
January 14, 2002 (2:52 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020114S0003

Keith Diefendorff, chief technology officer, has quit ARC to become vice-president of product strategy at rival US cores group MIPS Technologies.

Diefendorff joined ARC in July 2000, replacing founder Rick Clucas. ARC fired CEO Bob Terwilliger last September, and he has now been replaced by Michael Gulett. The company's senior vice-president of technology, Jim Turley, also left in September.

Diefendorff told EETimes: "I looked at the MIPS opportunity and it had the right formula."

He described his new job as having a holistic approach: "I'll be looking at all the products and architectures that MIPS has. The company has a very clean base architecture which will scale."

Diefendorff believes that the coming year will be difficult but is optimistic about MIPS ability to prosper in a harsh environment.

"The industry will be bumpy for a while but it's just a hiccup. The huge potential for embedded is eno rmously bright. This is the market to be in," said Diefendorff.

He also has an optimistic longer term view: "The next [economic] cycle will be longer — steadily up hill."

An ARC spokesman said: "Keith left for personal reasons." The company declined to comment on the search for his replacement.