Linden Lab picks online marketing executive as CEO Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:00pm PDT By Adam Reuters SECOND LIFE, April 22 (Reuters) - Linden Lab said on Tuesday it has selected online marketing executive Mark Kingdon as its new chief executive, replacing founder Philip Rosedale. Kingdon is CEO of digital marketing agency Organic Inc and a former senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. As of May 15, he will take control of day-to-day management and operations from Rosedale, who will become Linden Lab chairman and work on product development and strategy. Kingdon described himself as an occasional Second Life user who created the avatar Marcus Voom in January, 2007. His newly created avatar is “M Linden.” Rosedale told Reuters in March the company was looking for “someone who has experience with and a passion for growing this type of company — a software platform company — from 250 people to thousands of people.” He said on Tuesday that Kingdon’s history of overseeing complex projects paired with overall management expertise made him the most attractive candidate despite the lack of an explicit technology background. “I would call myself a very balanced general manager. While I don’t come from a technology background I’ve been working with technology for my entire career,” Kingdon said in a joint phone interview with Rosedale. Kingdon wrote a widely-read column in August, 2006 touting Second Life as an attractive opportunity for marketers. In the months after his piece was published, numerous blue-chip real-world companies entered Second Life. However, a subsequent backlash led many of them to pull back. He said that bringing back big brands was not a priority. “Maybe it was the right place but definitely the wrong time for most big brands,” Kingdon said. “I’d like to see a continuation and even acceleration of the incredible in-world development we’ve seen from engaged, highly participative residents. that will create the richness of experience and vibrant economy that’s so important. If there are companies that can participate in the organic growth of Second Life, it’s a great place for them.” Kingdon added that he plans to “magnify the very best” of Linden Lab’s quirky corporate culture, which currently allows employees to choose which projects they want to work on. “But, I also believe that in highly creative, innovative cultures, that people have to be voluntarily aligned with a direction. As much as possible it’s essential that they choose their focus,” he said.

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