Nico Bierhoff, Channel Marketeer Benelux at Masimo, responded to our article about the departure of their CEO. We always appreciate feedback and are happy to share it!
Our article regarding the resignation of CEO Joe Kiani from Masimo prompted Nico Bierhoff—Channel Marketeer Benelux at the same company—to send us an email, which you can read in full below:
“It’s true that Joe Kiani has stepped down, and that’s because he tied his fate to the vote of the board members, which was influenced by (minority shareholder) Politan. It’s well-documented that Politan has been critical of Masimo’s acquisition of Sound United.
What I don’t think is fair is that Masimo is being portrayed as a patent troll, or that we engage in patent troll-like behavior. What is less well-documented is that, during the development of the first smartwatch (around 2013/14), Apple approached Masimo to use our patented pulse oximetry sensors, a field in which Masimo was—and still is—the market leader. After some initial fruitful discussions, there was suddenly complete radio silence. Five months later, Masimo’s entire sensor engineering team was employed by Apple. That could be a coincidence, but with more than 10 people involved, it’s clear there’s more to the story.
After this, Masimo’s stance toward Apple understandably became more defensive, focused more on protecting what rightfully belongs to Masimo (and, emotionally, to Joe), rather than actively stifling innovation for monetary gain.”