Aaron Roma
02-02-2007, 12:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070201-8754.html' target='_blank'>http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070201-8754.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Bryan Lee, the executive in charge of business development for the Zune program, is stepping down from Microsoft to be replaced by J Allard, the bald hipster who received much of the credit for building the Xbox brand. Microsoft insists that Lee (a 43-year old) is "retiring" for personal reasons and absolutely not because of corporate displeasure over the Zune launch."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p>This move is both bad news and good news for the Zune program. Bad news: Lee was the executive who was hyping the anticipated <a target="_blank" href="http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/showthread.php?t=576">Microsoft / Music Industry meeting</a> which held promise to loosen Zune's much maligned 3-days / 3-plays DRM restriction, leaving the future of this meeting up in the air. Not-So-Bad News: Lee also personally headed up many of the content negations which resulted in too-restrictive DRM as well as the $1 Universal buy-off. Good News: The Zune team will now be head up by Allard, who has been credited with much of Xbox's success. If anyone can crank this product up a notch, it should be Allard.</p>