Flock, the much-hyped social browser that has so far failed to deliver much substance, has lost its CEO and founder. In a move that looks ominous for the Mountain View startup, Bart Decrem has left to build another company, adding that there’s nothing wrong with Flock. It’s being spun as a planned move, with David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners stating, “This development has been anticipated since the day we started the company, and if it’s happening sooner than anyone expected, it’s only because of the traction we’re getting with partners that taxes the team for experience and resources”.

Flock has always seemed to me like an unneccesary product - its appeal was limited to geeks, most of whom were doign just fine with Firefox and a few extensions to integrate Flickr and blog posting. However, that changed when the Flock/Photobucket browser emerged, giving hope that Flock might reach out to the mainstream MySpace demographic. Decrem’s departure suggests that hasn’t happened, and Flock looks to be in real trouble.