Unity earlierAnnounceCEO John Riccitiello is retiring and will also step down as chairman of Unity's board of directors. James Whitehurst, formerly CEO of Red Hat, will take over as Unity's interim CEO, while Sequoia Capital director Roelof Botha will take over as chairman of the board.
John Riccitiello's departure seems to be related to Unity's recent announcementDisputes over the new licensing and billing planAs for Unity, James Whitehurst will serve as interim CEO while John Riccitiello continues to provide advice on the company's development while the company continues to search for a suitable successor.
John Riccitiello joined Unity after leaving EA (Electoronic Arts) in 2014, and pushed Unity to switch from its original one-time paid licensing model to subscription pricing. He also pushed Unity to go public in 2020 and launched a series of acquisitions, including the controversial acquisition of IronSource in 2022.
However, some of John Riccitiello's remarks often cause controversy. For example, in the past, he criticized game developers who did not consider revenue in the early stages of their careers as "damn idiots" in an interview. He later retracted the comment and explained that the report was maliciously quoted out of context to gain clicks on the article. However, he later apologized and said that he should be more cautious in his words.
