In “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the Black Knight always gets a laugh by claiming that the loss of both his arms is “just a flesh wound.” Now Powerset’s COO has left the company, its CEO is changing roles, and it, too, claims to be okay.
Raise an eyebrow, snicker, or do whatever else you like, but Monty Python fans will remember that the Black Knight survives his encounter with King Arthur, and so perhaps there’s something to Powerset’s assertion. Heck, Barney Pell, who’s trading titles from CEO to CTO, seems downright happy about the shakeup.
“The changes we are making now position us for a next phase that promises to be really exciting,” he writes near the end of a 1,000-word blog post. “We will bring our technology out in real products that users will enjoy and that will trigger changes across the entire ecosystem of search. I think the next year is going to be an amazing time for Powerset and I am as passionate as ever about Powerset, our technology, our team and our future.”
All right. We’ve heard some implausibly positive stuff out of Powerset before, and not much came of it. But Steve Newcomb, the guy who said that stuff and announced a September release, is actually the now-gone COO, so it could be time to give the company another chance.
Or, if things go poorly, time to watch Powerset bleed on Google.
