Open source executive moves: JBoss executive Ben Sabrin lands at Appcelerator
Will the JBoss exodus out of Red Hat continue?
Ben Sabrin, former VP of Sales at JBoss, introduced himself to me in 2006 by yelling at me. I have that effect on people. I didn't take it personally as for once I wasn't guilty of that which I was being accused.
Ben has long since repented in sackcloth and ashes and is on his way to a cool startup called Appcelerator, where he'll be vice president of Strategy and Business Development. Word on the street is that he won't be the last of the JBoss elite to find their way to the company, which offers a "comprehensive, language-agnostic platform for quickly developing rich Internet applications."
It's a crowded space but Ben is a strong performer. I'm sure they'll do well.
As for Red Hat, I'm a little concerned that it may mean further leakage in Red Hat's JBoss ranks. Red Hat is getting kicked around a bit for not having a broad enough product portfolio, which means that JBoss must prove itself successful for the company. It can't weather an exodus of JBoss talent.