Beyond the Tweeted Haiku: Greatest Resignations Ever

(Feb. 4) -- Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz found the latest use for Twitter this morning, when he compressed his resignation from the company into a 140-character haiku:

"Today's my last day at Sun. I'll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more."

The resignation itself didn't exactly come as a surprise. Last week, Oracle completed its buyout of Schwartz's company, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison announced that he anticipated Schwartz would move on rather than work for the merged firm. And Twitter is no stranger to resignations; one user Tweets resignation letters as they surface.

Still, a tweeted resignation haiku is probably a first. And it surely guarantees Mr. Schwartz a spot in the pantheon of weird resignations, where he'll live in unemployment infamy with people like these:

Jereme Rogers, Professional Skateboarder
Rogers, whose sponsors include Billabong and Monster Energy Drink, retired from pro-skating by dropping magic mushrooms, disrobing, clambering onto a neighbor's rooftop and loudly announcing that, among other things, he'd be putting down his board. "It was obviously something I shouldn't have done," Rogers told reporters later. "It was just something that happened."

Bill Belichick, NFL Coach
The longtime NFL coach was appointed to take over the New York Jets in January 2000. He lasted a single day. At the news conference meant to announce his hiring, Belichick instead scrawled "I resign as HC of the NYJ" onto a scrap of paper, and then offered up a rambling, 30-minute explanation to befuddled reporters.

Jack Paar, Comedian
Long before Conan O'Brien's messy departure from NBC's "The Tonight Show," Jack Paar resigned as host via an on-air hissy fit. After NBC censored a crude joke, Paar announced, "There must be a better way to make a living than this, a way of entertaining people without being constantly involved in some form of controversy. I love NBC [...] But they let me down."

Phil Everly, Rocker
The Everly Brothers remain the most successful rock 'n' roll duo in American history, but in 1973, big brother Phil left the group in an on-stage moment that likely inspired rock stars for decades to come. After the band's manager interrupted their show to criticize little brother Don's performance, Phil cut loose, smashing his guitar and storming offstage -- and all the way out of the venue.

Paul Haggis, Auteur
The Oscar-winning film director broke ranks with Scientology last year in a scathing letter to church spokesman Tommy Davis that addressed its refusal to denounce California's anti-gay-marriage Prop 8 ballot initiative. "The church's refusal to denounce the action of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly," Haggis wrote. Later in the letter, he says, "And so, after writing this letter, I am fully aware that some of my friends may choose to no longer associate with me, or in some cases work with me."

The Rev. Ted Haggard, Evangelical Minister
After a series of allegations about the mega-church leader buying methamphetamine and soliciting sex from male escorts, Haggard resigned from the National Association of Evangelicals. But he didn't 'fess up. In a "letter of explanation and apology," Haggard called himself "one-hundred percent straight," and said he had solicited nothing more than massage therapy.

W. Neil Berrett, Shipyard Worker/Baker
In many ways, the resignation tendered by the cheeky Hunters Point Naval Shipyard employee followed the standard operating procedure: His missive was unfailingly polite ("my tenure ... has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim") and delivered two weeks in advance. But it was also conveyed in aquamarine icing atop a large sheet cake, which created a mild sensation when he posted a photo of his handiwork on Flickr.