Irvine, Calif. – Randy Waynick,
chief sales officer, has left the company after less than a year in the post,
sources close to Waynick confirmed Wednesday.
The 25-year Sony veteran was
last October as the “value meets vision” company sought to take its opening-price-point image upscale
behind a new “entertainment freedom for all” tag line.
Vizio representatives refused to confirm or deny Waynick’s
departure Wednesday, citing a company policy not to comment on personnel
matters. Friends who had recently spoken with Waynick, however, confirmed the
report for TWICE. They offered no reason for the action.
A Vizio representative contacted by TWICE also would not comment
on whether a new sales chief would be named.
During his short stay, the company moved out of the No. 2 U.S.
LCD TV market share position to the No. 1 slot for unit volume during the first
quarter of year, according to multiple market analyst reports.
But the company dropped back to the No. 2 slot in the second
quarter, according to recent DisplaySerach reports, while Samsung returned to
the top spot.
Waynick had attributed Vizio’s first-quarter feat to the new upmarket
direction that emphasized feature-rich connected TV products, as well as
tablets, Blu-ray Disc players and accessory items.
The company is currently engaged in an aggressive push behind its
passive-3D glasses based FullHD LCD TVs.