Practical Technology

t’s still not clear why Red Hat CTO Brian Stevens left the Linux giant. However, it now appears that he left to pursue a new opportunity at a major California-based technology company.

With the help of Stevens’ technical leadership, Red Hat moved from being one of many Linux distributors that were targeting the Linux enthusiast market to focusing all its energies on the business market with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in 2004. In more recent years, Stevens helped lead Red Hat into OpenStack and Docker.

In the meantime, Red Hat still has little to say. The only additional statement from Red Hat is a remark that Stevens was “leaving to pursue another opportunity.” While Stevens did not reply to inquires, sources stated that he’d been biding his time waiting for the right opportunity.

Reasons for Red Hat CTO departure still a mystery. More>

No-one among the rank and file at Red Hat seem to have seen this coming. In a move the Linux giant’s staffers said was “shocking” and a “punch in the gut,” long-time Red Hat chief technology officer Brian Stevens has resigned.

In a short press release, the company announced: “Brian Stevens will step down as CTO.”

In the same release, Red Hat’s president and chief executive Jim Whitehurst said, “We want to thank Brian for his years of service and numerous contributions to Red Hat’s business. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Red Hat CTO unexpectedly quits, amid rumors of executive ‘friction.’ More>