Rubinstein In, Colligan Out as Palm CEO

Palm’s announcement today naming Jon Rubinstein chairman and CEO, replacing Ed Colligan as chief executive, was hardly a surprise. Rubinstein, a former senior Apple executive, has been running the show since taking on the odd title of executive chairman nearly two years ago. But Colligan’s departure marks a final break with the old Palm, and I can’t help taking a look back at the company’s tumultuous history.

I first met Ed Colligan when he came to my office in early 1996 to show me a prototype of the Palm Pilot (it was still two words then.) I was new at this game then and the Pilot, billed as a “connected organizer” was one of the few products then or since that wowed me at first sight.