Update: Management Changes at SAP

Hasso Plattner just led an SAP executive board press conference, shedding a few more details on the move to replace Leo Apotheker as CEO with co-CEO's Jim Hagemann Snabe and Bill McDermott.

According to Hasso's statements and a Q&A session, the move has been in the works for several months as a "strategy of change," based both on dissatisfaction by customers, as well as internally by SAP employees. For the latter, Hasso pointed to a recent SAP employee survey that in his words "was not good."

As far as a mea culpa regarding customer satisfaction, Hasso put it quite plainly: "SAP is a public company and we need to be profitable. But we need to be a happy company. We must focus on customers and make them happy."

More specifically related to a question on the maintenance increase, Hasso answered "...we made a mistake and we need to change course and regain the trust of the customer."

SAP's board meets later this week to finalize its new strategy and course through its co-CEO's, and statements from both executives are expected early next week... stay tuned!