Rosensweig leaves Activision and games industry
Current Guitar Hero COO takes reins of premier music franchise
Activision has confirmed that ex-Yahoo COO Dan Rosensweig has left the publisher and his roles as CEO and president of the Guitar Hero franchise.
Rosensweig only joined Activision in March of last year, after having worked with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick on the board of directors at Yahoo. He originally left Yahoo in 2006 to work with equity firm Quadrangle Group.
He will be replaced by current Guitar Hero COO David Haddad, who will assume all the operational responsibilities of his departing boss and report to Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith.
Unlike Rosensweig, Haddad has a long history in the games industry having previously served as COO of Sierra Online and held positions at Disney and toy manufacturer Mattel.
"We would like to thank Dan for his contributions to the Guitar Hero business," stated Griffith. "We widened our leadership in the music gaming genre in 2009. And now, as we enter 2010, David Haddad, with his broad consumer product and digital/online experience, is the right leader to drive our agenda to improve profitability."
Rosensweig will leave the games industry entirely, taking up the position of president and CEO of U.S. company Chegg, which offers a rental service for student textbooks.
"The opportunity to lead one of Silicon Valley’s fastest growing companies that offers real financial value to students is unparalleled. Chegg.com has a powerful business model and, I believe, the opportunity to transform the textbook industry," commented Rosensweig on the company's blog.