Nokia Loses Another Exec As MeeGo Boss Resigns

Nokia continues to haemorrhage high ranking executives, after Ari Jaaksi, head of Nokia’s MeeGo Linux mobile operating system unit, announced his resignation.

Jaaksi is a Nokia veteran who previously managed the development of the Maemo operating system, which appeared on devices such as the N900.

Project MeeGo

In February this year, Maemo was merged with Intel’s Moblin. The resulting Linux-based project is responsible for developing the MeeGo operating system, which Nokia intends to use on its N range handsets, after announcing in June that it would drop Symbian from its flagship devices.

The MeeGo handset code has been made available for developers, but the actual operating system has yet to appear in any new Nokia devices. That said, Nokia intends to launch its first MeeGo handset, rumoured to be the N9, by the end of this year.

Ovum has previously warned that MeeGo will need considerable investment if it is to succeed against a growing number of rival mobile operating systems.

Jaaksi Resignation

Jaaksi’s resignation therefore comes at a crucial time for the infant operating system.

Jaaksi is reportedly said to have left Nokia last week for personal reasons, according to Nokia, and to pursue new opportunities.

“Ari Jaaksi has decided to pursue opportunities outside of Nokia,” said Nokia in an emailed statement to eWEEK Europe. “We thank him for his contribution over the years. Despite Ari’s departure, our MeeGo strategy remains unchanged. MeeGo continues its strong momentum.”

There is currently no word on a replacement for Jaaksi.

Other Departures

Nokia has been haemorrhaging high ranking staff of late.

The leading mobile maker has a new man in charge, namely the former Microsoft manager Stephen Elop, who was appointed in September after former chief Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was ousted from the Finnish mobile giant.

Kallasvuo’s departure had been on the cards for a while as the company seeks to turnaround its fortunes in the smartphone sector.

Elop is said to be considering running Windows Phone 7 on it smartphone handsets, in a move that will surely raise a few eyebrows around the world.

Other notable departures include Nokia’s chairman, Jorma Ollila, who in September announced his decision to step down. It is also understood that UK boss Mark Loughran has announced his resignation.

And of course Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia’s executive vice president responsible for smartphones, announced in mid September that he would leave the company in six months time.

He later explained that the key reason for his departure was because “I didn’t become CEO”.