After CEO, HTC Lead Designer Steps Down

HTC is in the period of transition. Recently CEO Peter Chou stepped down and now the company is losing its lead designer.

Jonah Becker, Scott Croyle, and Claude Zellweger joined HTC six years ago when their design firm One & Co was acquired by the company. When Croyle, who was serving as senior VP and head of product design, stepped down last year, Becker and Zellweger stepped up to fill in the void. Now, 11 months later, Becker is leaving his position as VP of industrial design, Digital Trends reported.

"We can confirm that Jonah Becker has left HTC; he had been with the company since HTC acquired One & Co over six years ago," HTC said in a statement. "We would like to thank Jonah for his work with HTC, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. He has been succeeded by Daniel Hundt, based in our San Francisco design office."

The company did not cite a reason for Becker's departure however, reportedly, HTC might be switching tactics to find its niche in the market.

"To avoid head-on competition, HTC has over the past year changed its strategy to selling more midtier phones in emerging markets. It has also outsourced some production to save costs and expanded into accessories and software to raise its brand awareness," The Journal reported.