Controller designer, hardware lead Jeri Ellsworth out at Valve

We're still eagerly awaiting Steambox-spec'd hardware in our living rooms but Valve's endeavor into hardware will move on minus one party member, noted inventor / hacker Jeri Ellsworth. She reported the firing in a tweet earlier today, however any reasons, future plans or possible link to the project itself were not mentioned. When we spoke to Ellsworth last fall, she was working on controller prototypes to address mouse/keyboard use from the couch. At the time she also happily noted the Valve corporate culture's acceptance of risk-taking and failure on the way to new product development. We've attempted to contact both parties and will report back if we hear any other details -- especially if they include any more fashion / Commodore 64 mashups.