We have great, high-end, unique proprietary technology, but we just can't sell.
Companies like Dell out-sell us in the smaller companies by a huge margin. As an engineer, I don't know the details of the sales and marketing side of things, but I think the general lack of direction in the management plays a significant role. Since the bubble burst the company has been short of cash. The executives made some really bad decisions about where to put the money in, and now they've become really cautious, if not over-cautious in new technology investments.
While the technical teams are allowed to explore innovations, when it comes time to
decide what to put our big bets in the executives can't make up their mind. They'd like to see more market data, while they're not willing to pay for it. Organizational paralysis occurs as a result. No matter what experiments are done, the status quo is always preferred. Or we enter the market late when we see the success of our competitors (Microsoft, Dell, HP, Apple). Unable to position themselves clearly and where we're heading in the future, Sun is not able to market a clear image to potential customers.
There's also a morale issue within the organization. The senior engineers received too much pressure from the executives when problems loom large. At the same time they don't get much of the recognition or reward if they get the job well done. Especially when the stock has not been moving in the past 10 years, there's not enough financial incentives to justify the good work. They don't get promoted often, while lay-offs happen frequently. The HR/financial executives don't understand how much it will cost Sun to re-train people with our unique technology. "Outside talents" are hired to fill the senior vacancy positions.
The Sun management should start to promote from within. Promote people who knows the Sun technology, both the strengths and weaknesses, inside out. Let them become our technology leaders. Only by then we could focus on our core products and market them with full force.
