Motorola CEO Ed Zander may have won at least a temporary reprieve from some of the harsh criticism he's endured in recent months, as the largest US maker of mobile phones reported a third-quarter profit today. Evading a straight-up loss through aggressive cost-cutting, Motorola earnings were down 94%, but it still raked in a net income of $60 million, or 3 cents a share, BusinessWeek reports.
The profit was the company's first in three quarters. Zander has been taking some serious flak for lagging sales—most notably from billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has threatened to seek his removal. The company, which has unveiled a new version of its Razr phone, pleased investors by forecasting a strong fourth quarter. (More Ed Zander stories.)