Unfortunate news has come to the smart home and CI industries as Mitchell “Mitch” Klein, a noteworthy figure within both spaces, has revealed that he has been laid off from Silicon Labs following a recent round of cuts made by the company.
His LinkedIn post earlier this week discussing the news, with permission to republish by CE Pro, reads:
“Last week Silicon Labs announced that market conditions had forced them to make the difficult decision to lay off a percentage of their global staff. Unfortunately, my role was impacted by this recent round of layoffs.
“I am thankful for my time at Silicon Labs, where as Director of Alliance Strategies I’ve been able to contribute to the important work that industry alliances play to drive & grow the #IoT ecosystems. I’ve had the privilege of being involved with organizations such as #WiFiAlliance, #ConnectivityStandardsAlliance, #BluetoothSIG, #WiSUN, and perhaps the one closest to my heart, the #ZWaveAlliance.
“I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with an incredibly smart, diverse, and committed team at Silicon Labs and wish them all continued success and happiness.
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The news of the layoffs comes roughly a week after Silicon Labs issued its Q3 results for FY23 on Nov. 1 having “executed well in the third quarter, driving revenue and EPS that exceeded the mid-point of our guidance,” as noted by Matt Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Silicon Labs in a press release accompanying the report.
Johnson then continued, saying, “The current demand environment remains quite weak as we navigate this cyclical inventory correction, and end market visibility continues to be challenging. That said, we are pleased with our record design win performance in the quarter and continued advancements in our industry-leading platform. We believe these positions us well for growth and higher earnings power when the market recovers.”
A major proponent of the smart home and home connectivity standards, Klein has been the face of Z-Wave within the CI industry, being a longtime veteran of the industry himself, his career spanning roughly 30 years at this point. He’s been a fixture at industry tradeshows and particularly in the Z-Wave Alliance’s booth presence for many years.
His passion for advancing the legitimacy of the professional smart home industry throughout the country saw him actively engaging with CEDIA from its earliest stages and even saw him earn a CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 for his contributions for the industry.
“I have worked with Mitch for decades as a member of the Z-Wave Alliance and as friends. His contributions to Z-Wave and to the industry have been prolific, it’s one of the reasons CEDIA named him a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. I look forward to hearing what lucky company is able to snap him up and benefit from his years of experience and the passion he has for the technology space. I can only hope his next role will afford him the opportunity to stay connected with Z-Wave,” said Avi Rosenthal, Secretary of the Z-Wave Alliance
Kevin Kraus, Treasurer of the Z-Wave Alliance adds, “Mitch has been one of Z-Wave’s greatest assets, the team has had immeasurable success under his tenure from the launch of Z-Wave Long Range, completion of the Z-Wave Source Code project, and most recently welcoming a new certification house and additional silicon provider. We are so thankful for Mitch’s support over the years, he’s truly gone above and beyond in what has been a volunteer role. Thanks to him we are set up well for continued growth including many exciting events and activities that will take place at CES 2024.”
Outside of his professional career Klein also shares a passion for music both as an admirer and a performer, being a staple in the CE Pro All Star Band alongside other noteworthy members of the CI Industry, including CE Pro’s own Bob Archer.
At this time, Klein states he is “seeking my next great opportunity and am open to all ideas and possibilities.”
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