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From: mjsagar@sandia.gov (9123 SAGARTZ, MATHIAS J.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Copperman out, blood on the carpet
Message-ID: <41104@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 8 Jan 91 18:42:23 GMT
Sender: mmdf@ee.udel.edu
Lines: 29


	The Jan. 8 Wall Street Journal reports that Commodore has
announced the replacement of Harold Copperman as the president of
the U.S. subsidiary by James Dionne, who had been the head
of the company's Canadian Unit.  Copperman will remain with Commodore
as a vice president and will be responsible for formulating
"multimedia strategies."  Also announced was a 10% to 15% reduction in
the West Chester 600 person work force.  The company said that most of
the layoffs were due to a decision to consolidate manufacturing in
Hong Kong. Some cuts are also part of an attempt to mechanize
"back-office functions."  
	It looks as though Commodore is out to enhance it's carefully 
nurtured image of instability and lack of direction.  Copperman's 
name is now added to the post Tramiel list of Smith, Rattigan and Toy.
Once again there is fresh blood on the West Chester carpet.  Can any
developer contemplating entry into the Amiga market not be turned off
by all this?  A big question is what's going to happen now.  Back to 
the "good old days" of zero customer support and service?  
	The general feeling in Amigadom had been one of optimism and
hope.  Clearly things had been getting a lot better.  Now it's back to
wondering how CBM will, once again, make the least of a good thing. I
would hope that sooner or later Commodore's board of directors will
tell Irving that he's thrown his last tantrum and it's time he
retired.  That may not be easy since he owns 20% of the company, but
his abuse of this position is to a point where there's a good chance
that the shareholders would support an ouster if someone would step
foreward and lead the effort.  The chances of that happening are
pretty small, but we Amiga people have learned to live of hope and a
blind faith that things just have to get better.