Opera founder exits over board dispute

Opera's creator Jon S. von Tetzchner surprised the industry on Friday with word he was leaving the company. The web browser developer is due to leave June 30 and will do so on friendly terms. He has made no public mention of why he will be leaving but currently has "ideas about new projects" that are being kept secret.

An internal e-mail has uncovered an internal disagreement. The copy obtained by TechCrunch has uncovered that Von Tetzchner doesn't "share the same values" or direction for Opera with the board of directors or executives. Top staff are "more quarterly focused" and concentrated on the short term where he has a longer view, according to the e-mail.

Inside the note, he is still adamant that he has trust in Opera as a whole and again hopes for its success. "I do believe strongly in Opera as a company, and in all of you working here," he says. "Our products actually make a difference for a lot of people in the world."

Opera was started in 1995 and has been one of the longest-serving alternatives to Internet Explorer, predating Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome by years. The browser has never gained large share but has stayed active and has a large following among mobile users, where its web compression and fast load times have been distinct advantages. [image via Wikipedia]

By Electronista Staff