Today's news that Ken Kutaragi is retiring from the SCEI, can only be seen as further proof that the company does indeed use Brian's School of Volcano Management.

I first noticed back in December when Kutaragi was "promoted" to replace Sir Howard Stringer who had just been popped out of the crusty lip of the Sony Volcano.

In my theory, heat from bad decisions and poor management builds until a key person involved in the decision-making process is pushed up and up and up and finally ejected entirely from the company.

Next up, if my theory holds, Kaz Harai who just jetted past several branch pipes and parasitic cones to the summit when he was named President and Group CEO of the Playstation business worldwide.

Of course that's not how SCEI puts it, this is their take:

Kutaragi has said that he has been considering this decision for some time. He stated that, in the six months since the appointment of Kazuo Hirai as President in December, the new generation of management, led by Mr. Hirai, has continued to develop. With the March introduction of PS3 in Europe completing the successful launch of PS3 worldwide, Mr. Kutaragi has identified SCE's Annual Shareholders' meeting in June as the ideal timing to pass on the torch to the new generation of management. Mr. Kutaragi will now apply his extensive technological knowledge and leadership skills to take on new challenges beyond the world of PlayStation. Sony and SCE will continue to seek Mr. Kutaragi's input and ideas from a broad perspective, while continuing to support him as much as possible in the realization of his dreams."

Who, I wonder will be replacing Kaz Hirai? I think Jack Trenton has been doing a good enough job to remain bobbing up and down in the magma chamber with Phil Harrison. Brian Crecente