How do you help a company without officially going to work for the firm? Answer: join a private investment firm that owns a portion of it. That’s how former Apple executive Dr. Avadis ‘Avie’ Tevanian explains his move to Elevation Partners, which owns 25 percent of Apple-rival Palm.
Former Apple senior vice president Jon Rubinstein is now Palm’s CEO. Remember Rubinstein, he recently denied ever using an iPhone.
Hoping to blunt the headlines of yet another former Apple executive joining Palm, Tevanian Wednesday says he’ll spend “almost no time” dealing with Palm. Instead, he’ll help Elevation assess new investments and technology.
Tevanian came to Apple in 1996 when Apple acquired NeXT Computer (who’s NeXTSTEP software developed into Mac OS X). He later became Chief Software Technology Officer for Apple before leaving the Cupertino, Calif. company in 2006.
Fred Anderson, former Apple Chief Financial Officer, praised Tevanian for his vision.
[Via Silicon Alley Insider and Mac Rumors]
