• Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, October 28, 2009 10:10 PM

Quincy Smith, the fast-talking, sneakers-loving CEO of CBS Interactive is leaving to start his own Silicon Valley consulting firm. Smith was seen as primarily a deal-maker and the company lately has moved away from buying to building its assets. Neil Ashe, president of CBS Interactive, will inherit most of Smith's duties, but not the CEO title.

Smith had signed a three-year deal with CBS in 2006. He is staying in his current post through the rest of the year and will continue to advise the company after he is gone as part of a multi-year consulting deal.

Smith joined CBS in 2006 and engineered a series of acquisitions, culminating in the $1.8-billion purchase of the Internet tech portal CNET. Some analysts have argued that CBS overpaid for CNET.

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