THE RODNEY DANGERFIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

摘要

Scott McNealy was sporting a fresh buzz cut from Supercuts ("I just made my semiannual trip to the barber") when I dropped in for a visit recently. The new do revealed flecks of gray that weren't there all that long ago―and no wonder. The past three years have been rough for the 48-year-old CEO of Sun Microsystems, who has spent nearly half his life in his current job. Since the Internet bubble burst, he's presided over a troubled company that's seen revenues shrink by 37 percent since 2001, while its stock price fell by more than 95 percent. Still, McNealy seemed as sassy and eager to bait his rivals as ever, and―dare it be said―even a tad optimistic. Making small talk, I asked why he had changed offices four times since Y2K, and McNealy immediately launched into demo mode: "We're a mobile company. Literally three of my direct reports have no offices at all. They just float around and use Sun Rays." Um, Sun Rays?