Even most game shows don't have this many hosts.
DayStar Technologies, a struggling manufacturer of copper indium gallium selenide, has appointed Magnus Ryde as its chief executive officer.
He's the fifth person to hold that job in less than a year. Last May, Stephan DeLuca resigned, and was succeeded by interim CEO Robert Aldrich (not the TV actor.). Michael Mathvieshen followed a little while later: he served as CEO from mid-September to the beginning of October, when CFO William Steckel became interim CEO number two.
Also in 2009, COO and Solyndra alumni Ratson Morad resigned, as did two board members.
If anything, Ryde brings some hefty credentials to the company. He served as president of the U.S. operations of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the big chip-maker that plans on buying LED and solar companies. TSMC is known for rigorous, obsessive and highly efficient manufacturing processes and factory management. DayStar was one of the first CIGS companies to start shipping product, but it has been plagued by production issues.
Five CEOs also beats the "four tops" pace set by Tesla Motors, when went through three before settling on investor Elon Musk back in 2007 and 2008.
If Ryde resigns, here are a few other people that could take over: the 12 Galaxies guy, Russell Johnson, Steve Wozniak, Dionne Warwick, the polar bears of Churchill, Canada, the former governors of Illinois, or the Gorton's fisherman.
Meanwhile, Topanga Technologies, which has been in pseudo stealth mode for several months, has appointed Greg Barry, an alum of General Electric and Hubbell Lighting, as CEO. He replaces co-founder Mehran Matloubian, who becomes chief strategy officer. It's likely a sign that the company wants to formally come out soon.
Topanga makes a high-intensity plasma light: a tiny bulb can produce as much light as a street light -- and it's a high quality light. You won't look greenish under it. It raised around $6 million last year from, among others, Khosla Ventures. It will compete against Luxim, which already has products on the market and is funded by Sequoia Ventures, among others.
Khosla also has investments in Kaai and Soraa, two LED companies founded by lighting heavyweights Shuji Nakamura and Stephan Den Baars at the University of California-Santa Barbara. So get ready to hear about light bulbs that need to pass the Chindia test.