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He never finished his degree in metallurgical engineering, but he did start a bookselling empire.
The era of the corporatized third place (Starbucks, anyone?)
He stays on with the company, however, as executive chairman, ultimately pulling the strings.
2010: Stephen Riggio resigns as CEO.Riggio turns the position over todigital guy William Lynch.
Having closed dozens of stores, Barnes & Noble has become the little guy againcompared tothe online Goliath.
(E-books peak this year as a share of the market, declining ever after.)
The company announces it will closeone-third of its storesover the next decade.
Ultimately, Riggio decides against the buyback.
20152016: Another CEO hired and fired; Riggio retires and un-retires.Ronald Boire* becomes CEO in 2015.
(Riggio has beenoverseeing the companyafter Lynchs resignation.)
In April 2016, Riggio says hell retire by September.
But then, in August, Boire is fired and declared not a good fit for the organization.
B&N ends up paying him$4.8 millionto settleall issuesrelated to his dismissal, and the stockplunges.
Riggio postpones his retirement and becomes acting CEO, 13 years after he resigned from the position.
Riggio says he is highly respected and will foster a period of new growth.
As in 2013, he decides against a buyback.
James Daunt, the chief executive of Waterstones, will also act as Barnes & Nobles CEO.
He takes Riggios place for now!
*An earlier version of this article misidentified one former CEO of Barnes & Noble.
His name is Ronald Boire, not David Boire.
