Much as Palm did back in 2003 ago when it split its own hardware and software into separate companies, Hewlett-Packard is breaking up the webOS group, according to internal HP emails obtained by PreCentral. The hardware will remain with the Personal Systems Group under the recently appointed Stephen DeWitt while the software will move to HP’s Office of Strategy and Technology (OS&T) under EVP Shane Robinson. According to Todd Bradley, PSG’s EVP:
Reorganizing the webOS software teams under OS&T allows us to fully investigate how we can utilize the webOS software platform. The pan-HP charter of OS&T provides a broad view of how we can optimize our technologies. In fact, it has proven to be a successful incubator of technologies; it is home to a team of senior technology experts devoted exclusively to exploring longer-term strategies for our technologies. Currently, OS&T is incubating the HP Cloud Services business units, Vertica and Business Solutions.
The leaked memos made no mention of where Jon Rubinstein will end up after this split.
One thing is clear though: The move allows HP to hang on to webOS, its patents, and licensing opportunities, even if PSG is spun off or sold off. Could we see a future where the spun-off PSG company will come back to HP to license webOS for some future hardware? It seems unlikely right now but stranger things have happened in the world of technology.