Linux Professional Institute's Restructuring Begins with Staff Reductions

On February 10th, LPI announced what they call Restructuring for Growth. But today, word reached us that LPI management terminated the entire development team including test developers and subject matter specialists in North America and those in Europe. Sifting through the disappointment of terminated staff members, one has to look at the new CEO's strategy. This isn't necessarily a sign of bad times for Linux. In fact, Linux training companies report stout growth for the enterprise sector.

According to our sources, the virtual structure of the development team did not work for new management. The President and CEO, Jim Lacey, evidently prefers having his team on-site in Toronto. We also understand that LPI plans to incorporate volunteers into its development efforts.

While successful internationally, LPI hasn't made much of an impact in the US. Without support from the US market, LPI gave 100,000 exams in the second half of 2005 and issued 30,000 certificates globally. Perhaps management has started ramping up for future growth in more lucrative markets over the next year.

No one wins in these situations. Management looks like the bad guys because they didn't meet the employees' expectations. In the outside world, people start to speculate about the viability of the institution. Then, the terminated employees face unpleasant circumstances because they have to start down a different career path while they wonder if they will land on their feet.

Restructuring has inherent risks and no one has a crystal ball. With the surge in Linux use, I would expect LPI to continue to grow. Whether management can meet the challenges of that growth remains a question we can only answer in the fullness of time.

In the meantime, a number of highly qualified Linux subject matter specialists are available for hire.