It seems that the CEO seat was too hot for William Lynch who resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. "The board of directors tapped Michael Huseby as CEO of NOOK Media LLC and president of Barnes & Noble; Lynch’s title has not been filled, while the NOOK CEO post is newly created." Why a CEO of Nook when they have scrapped the their tablet is questionable, but maybe to help with the plans to close the business.
What B&N needs is a leader that sees the potential that I believe B&N still possesses, a visionary to guide their business into the next generation of book seller and digital aggregator. It will not be an easy road and success depends on building a brick and mortar business that adapts to a digital business while diversifying and managing a retail presence. Others before them have failed; Borders already with books, Tower Records and others with music. But B&N still has a chance to defy those odds and stay a competitive threat. Unfortunately, a change at the top was most likely necessary to start to adapt. I wish them luck.
