Sun's errant technology genius returns home, and not a moment too soon - News Review

Rethink IT, March, 2004

Sun's first ever computer designer, Andy Bechtolsheim, is coming back to Sun. Without telling us exactly what Bechtolsheim has been up to for all these years, the Sun Microsystems announcement focuses on Sun acquiring his company Kealia for stock (Coincidentally, or maybe not, Kealia is also a beach resort in Hawaii.)

No value is placed on the transaction, which will close in the next two quarters, and nothing is said about Kealia other than the fact that it was established to develop "advanced server technology", which is good as Sun could use a little of that right now

Bechtolsheim was a co-founder or Sun Microsystems and vice president of technology from 1984 to 1995, where he held a range of roles including chief architect of Sun's workstation product line. He is generally accepted as a genius in computer design, but only time will tell whether or not he has uncovered some real hot technology while at Kealia, or if he was just homesick.

Following completion of the acquisition, Kealia will become the Advanced Systems Technology group within Sun's Volume Systems Products organization headed by executive vice president Nell Knox. Bechtolsheim will return to Sun as senior vice president and chief architect within the Volume Systems Products group, reporting to Knox, and will also be a member of Sun's Executive Management Group, led by CEO Scott McNealy.