Be Inc. Founder Leaving as Firm Nears Closure

Jean-Louis Gassee, a former Apple executive, is leaving Be Inc. as it winds down operations, the company announced Monday.

Gassee, president and chief executive of Be, founded the small company in 1990 after more than nine years at Apple Computer. Be made an operating system for Internet appliances and PCs.

Palm Inc. announced in August that it was buying the Menlo Park-based company’s technology assets for $11 million. Since those assets were transferred, Be has been dissolving the remainder of the business.

Be’s board of directors appointed Dan Johnston, Be’s general counsel, to serve as president as the dissolution is completed.

While at Apple, Gassee started the company’s French subsidiary, Apple’s largest business unit outside of the United States. He also served in management at Hewlett-Packard and Data General, and is a director for 3Com, Electronics for Imaging and Logitech.