Two key Ubuntu executives jump ship from Canonical

Ubuntu Linux developer Canonical has been hit with the departure of two key executives.

The company said in a blog post that chief technology officer Matt Zimmerman would be stepping down from his role and leaving the company.

A founding member of Canonical, Zimmerman had been with the company since 2004. He will continue working on the company's technical board and will do volunteer work for Ubuntu.

Zimmerman did not give exact details on the departure or his plans, but did mention that he was leaving Canonical on good terms.

"Seven years on, the time is right for me to move on from this role, where I enjoy so much support from my colleagues, and take a risk on something new," he wrote.

"I will take with me many fond memories, from all-night global hacking sessions driving toward a ship date, to casual singing and playing music at our many face-to-face events."

Former corporate services vice president Neil Levine, meanwhile,  confirmed media reports of a departure with an update to his LinkedIn profile. Levine will be co-founding a new development startup known as Soba Labs.