Electronic Arts' CFO Grows Up Again

When he was chief financial officer at Amazon.com (AMZN Quote), many analysts thought Warren Jenson's real job was to be the company's official grown-up. He helped the company successfully navigate the dot-com crash and its transition from money-losing start-up to profitable enterprise.

Now, in his third year as CFO of Electronic Arts (ERTS Quote), Jenson faces a similar task. While EA's management may be more sober on the whole than Amazon's was during the dot-com boom, and its position no way as dire, Jenson's job is to help the company navigate the coming transition to the next-generation of video-game consoles.

The early going hasn't been so good. Earlier this year, the company stumbled badly, posting revenue and sales for its past fiscal year that fell far short of Wall Street's expectations. ...