james-mccormick

PodTech's future may lie in new CEO's past

Tim Faulkner · 08/23/07 04:35PM

PodTech may finally have rid itself of founder John Furrier's so-called leadership. But how will new CEO James McCormick fare? We've already pointed out that, despite 23 years of experience, he has never been the public face of a company. His past as an operations and finance executive is also littered with repeated failures: disgruntled employees, lawsuits, bad mergers, and other flameouts. McCormick may get by for a time simply by not being Furrier, but the failures linked to him through his resume do not bode well for the troubled videoblogging network.

The search for a CEO leads nowhere

Tim Faulkner · 08/16/07 01:52PM

John Furrier, CEO of troubled videoblogging startup PodTech, has finally replaced himself, as promised. But the long search for a CEO to lead the faltering video network can only be judged a failure. James McCormick may have "23 years of operational, finance, and senior management experience," but he has never served as the public face of a company. His appointment, too, can hardly be said to be the result of a "search": He's been working behind the scenes as PodTech's COO for the last nine months under Furrier. Had he really filled the company's needs, and more importantly, the demands of PodTech's restless investors, he would have been promoted without interviewing outsiders. Furrier's skills of persuasion — which seem to be the main thing holding the company together — apparently didn't sway any candidates. (Photo by Robert Scoble)