Sergio Buniac Leaves Motorola: 5 Defining Moments From His Time as President
After more than three decades with Motorola and eight years leading its smartphone business globally, Sergio Buniac is leaving the company. Buniac, who became President of Motorola in 2018, is joining Qualcomm as Executive Vice President and Group General Manager of Mobile, Compute and Personal AI.
For Motorola fans, his departure closes an important chapter. His tenure coincided with one of the brand’s biggest transformations since joining Lenovo. Here are five moments that helped define the Buniac era.
1. Bringing Motorola Back to Profitability
When Buniac took over in 2018, Motorola’s smartphone business was struggling financially. Within two quarters, the business reached breakeven profitability, and within a year every geography was breaking even. Motorola ultimately recorded its first annual profit in a decade.
That turnaround provided the foundation for virtually everything that followed.
2. Motorola Becomes a 5G Pioneer
Motorola was among the earliest brands to put 5G into consumers’ hands. In 2019, the Moto Z3 paired with the 5G Moto Mod became the first commercially available smartphone to connect to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network.
Motorola later pushed 5G into more affordable Moto G devices, helping move the technology beyond expensive flagships.
3. The RAZR Returns
Perhaps no product better symbolizes Buniac’s Motorola than the reborn Razr.
Unveiled in 2019, the foldable Razr transformed one of Motorola’s most recognizable phones into a modern foldable smartphone, complete with an innovative zero-gap hinge and external Quick View display.
What began as a nostalgic experiment eventually grew into one of Motorola’s most important premium product families.
4. Motorola Goes Premium Again
The 2020 Motorola Edge marked the company’s return to the flagship smartphone segment. Over subsequent generations, Edge and Razr helped Motorola move beyond its strong association with affordable Moto G phones.
That strategy expanded into design and lifestyle, including Motorola’s partnership with Pantone and later collaborations with brands including Bose, Swarovski and Alcantara.
5. Ending on a High Note
Buniac leaves Motorola considerably stronger than when he became president. Under his leadership, Motorola strengthened its position in Latin America, reached the No. 3 position in North America and expanded in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Most recently, Motorola reported its highest annual revenue since Lenovo acquired the company, while Razr reached the No. 1 position in the global flip-phone segment.
For longtime Motorola fans, Buniac’s legacy will likely be remembered as more than a financial turnaround. His eight years at the top brought back some of the personality, experimentation and ambition that made Motorola such an iconic mobile brand in the first place.
