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Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith was the one who told Phil spencer to call Sony, amid the purchase of activision/blizzard (WSJ)

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kingfey

Banned

Activision in spotlight​

Around the time the deal was announced in January, Mr. Smith said he woke up at 4 a.m. with his mind full of ideas. Unable to fall back asleep, he began sketching out a plan to blunt criticism by addressing competition concerns head-on.

He called Microsoft’s gaming chief, Phil Spencer, at 8 a.m. to hammer out plans to contact Sony Group Corp., Microsoft’s main competitor in gaming, to let it know Microsoft would continue to make Activision games for Sony’s PlayStation consoles.


Mr. Smith decided with Mr. Nadella, the CEO, to announce that Microsoft planned to pre-emptively make its app store more open than Apple’s without government pressure, such as by not requiring developers to use a proprietary payment system.

The company saw this as part of a pitch to regulators around the world that it would be a good steward of a huge addition to its already big gaming business. The next month, it unveiled the new app store principles in Washington to lawmakers and the press.

“We’re more focused on adapting to regulation than fighting against it,” Mr. Smith told reporters. “We want to be clear with regulators and with the public that if this acquisition is approved, they can count on Microsoft to adapt to the rules that are emerging, and run our business in a responsible way.”

For more info, read this post.

 
what's the point of having a CEO and a president
Source

CEO vs President: Everything You Need to Know​

Understanding a CEO vs President is important before a business owner chooses which title to assume for their company.3 min read
1. Definition of an Owner
2. Definition of a President
3. Definition of a CEO
4. Key Differences Between a CEO and a President

Updated July 6, 2020:

Definition of an Owner​

Understanding a CEO vs President is important before a business owner chooses which title to assume for their company. The owner of a small company often handles a large variety of business tasks, with responsibilities ranging from complex tasks, such as reading over contracts, down to more basic responsibilities, such as taking out the trash at the end of the day. If the owner wants their company to be successful, they must be committed and willing to go above and beyond.
The owner of the company is based on who has equity in the business, and may be a single owner, or in the case of multiple owners, considered a co-owner. Be careful not to confuse an owner or co-owner with an investor. An investor may receive a portion or percentage of profits, but does not have an overall share in the company. A more formal role for the top person at a company is a CEO or president. An owner may choose to use one of these more formal names, and may also include "Founder" in their title.

Definition of a President​

The president of a company is sometimes the top or most senior person who presides over the business. If the organization also has a CEO, the president is the second in command, after the CEO.
A president's responsibilities may differ depending on the type of business or the size of the business. They are typically responsible for logistics and business operations and confirming the company's policies are implemented effectively.
Some of the common roles for a president include:
  • Guiding and leading managers
  • Implementing the company strategy
  • Providing recommendations to the board of directors
  • Reporting feedback to the board of directors
  • Handling budgeting and finances

Definition of a CEO​

A CEO, which stands for Chief Executive Officer, is the highest-level person at the company. Some of the most common CEO roles include the following:
  • Growing the value of the company
  • Providing the final decision for high-level business changes
  • Deciding the overall business strategy
  • Advising the board of directors
  • Overseeing future planning for operations
Another name for a CEO is an executive director, which is a title commonly used with non-profit organizations. The chairman of the board may sometimes take the role of CEO, but this is typical only if the person is heavily involved in the business.

Key Differences Between a CEO and a President​

One of the key differences between the roles are the business responsibilities. The president is responsible for strategy and operations management, whereas the CEO is tasked with deciding and pursuing the company mission, vision, and strategy, as well as maintaining the financial success of the business.
Another main difference between the two roles are the level of hierarchy. When both a CEO and president role exist within a single company, the CEO outranks the president. This means the CEO is the top person, and the president is the second-highest ranked person.
There is also a difference in the perspective needed for each of the roles. Typically, the CEO is expected to focus on the long-term goals and strategy of the business. This includes the strategy, mission, vision, long-term goals, and future forecast for a number of years. On the other hand, the president is tasked with the shorter-term perspective, including the standard operations of the business and the logistical details.
There are many more differences between the role of CEO and president. Some include the following:
  • The CEO works toward the maximization of wealth, compared to the president's focus on increasing profits.
  • The CEO is responsible for planning, as opposed to the president's responsibility for implementation.
  • The CEO works to gain effectiveness, whereas the president seeks efficiency.
  • The CEO creates the vision for new strategies, such as technological advances, and the president is then responsible for putting those changes into place for the company.
  • The CEO typically has the power to make final decisions for the company, whereas the president is making decisions about the people at the company.
Although these responsibilities are generally standard, some businesses may choose to spread out their responsibilities a bit differently.
If you need help with CEO vs President, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.
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After Phil Spencer saved the gaming division I'm surprised he doesn't have complete autonomy. I'd be like SMD Brad if I were Phil. Then I'd call Sony cause it's good to do.
 
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