Microsoft Windows Gets a New Leader
- Mehedi Hassan
- Mar 29, 2018
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86
Microsoft is announcing a huge leadership change for Windows. The company is introducing a new leader for its Windows and Devices group — now the Experiences & Devices group — to lead its operating system and hardware efforts.
Rajesh Jha, previously the EVP of Office at Microsoft, will now be spearheading its new Experiences & Devices group. “The purpose of this team is to instill a unifying product ethos across our end-user experiences and devices,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Jha will be replacing Terry Myerson, who has long been the face of Windows and is also an integral part of Microsoft’s Senior Leadership Team. But according to sources close to the matter, many of Microsoft’s employees haven’t been a huge fan of Myerson, with some celebrating Myerson’s departure with “#Terryble” on internal discussion groups.
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In addition to that, Surface’s Panos Panay will now serve as Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer as part of the latest leadership changes under Jha within the Experiences & Devices group.
Myerson first moved to Windows products back in 2008 when he was given the responsibility to head Microsoft’s Windows Mobile efforts and was also leading the launch of Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Windows as a Service efforts — but he hasn’t only been responsible for Windows at Microsoft. In fact, as the EVP of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices group, Myerson has been responsible for many of Microsoft’s flagship consumer-oriented products — including products like Surface, Xbox, and HoloLens. Myerson is yet to announce where he’s heading next, but he we will continue to work at the company for the next several months.
Elsewhere, Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie will now lead a new team focused on Cloud and AI, with Jason Zander being promoted as the EVP of Azure. With Guthrie now leading AI as well as Microsoft’s Cloud efforts, Harry Shum will continue to lead Microsoft’s Research and AI efforts, the company confirmed to Thurrott.com.
“Today’s announcement enables us to step up to this opportunity and responsibility across all our Solution Areas,” Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to the firm’s employees. The leadership changes come at a critical stage for Microsoft. As the company expands its focus on its cloud business and cloud-driven products, the changes are expected to help the company innovate faster.
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Conversation 86 comments
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shameermulji
<blockquote><a href="#257498"><em>In reply to CaedenV:</em></a></blockquote><p>very interesting perspective.</p><p><br></p><p>"but the growth of MS will be everywhere but Windows."</p><p><br></p><p>If that's the case, why go through the trouble of investing in first-party hardware like Surface?</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#257506"><em>In reply to shameermulji:</em></a></blockquote><p>I always try to keep in mind that "growth" is mostly of concern to company executives and investors. Employees can still be gainfully employed and the customers can still enjoy the benefits of a low-growth product if it's profitable. </p><p><br></p><p>Besides the non-Windows portion of Microsoft is a seedling and Windows a Redwood, so naturally the former is going to grow faster. </p>
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shameermulji
<blockquote><a href="#257441"><em>In reply to FalseAgent:</em></a></blockquote><p>No, he is not.</p><p><br></p><p>http://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-outgoing-windows-chief-terry-myersons-mail-to-the-troops/</p>
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shameermulji
<blockquote><a href="#257456"><em>In reply to will:</em></a></blockquote><p>Mary Jo Foley shares the similar sentiments.</p><p><br></p><p>"<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(8, 14, 20);">Microsoft is making these moves because the PC market is no longer growing much, if at all. Its cloud and subscription businesses are growing, however."</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(8, 14, 20);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(8, 14, 20);">Microsoft is hoping it can do with Windows what it did with Office. The company managed to turn its individual on-premises Office products into a cloud bundle with Office 365 — which is growing even faster than Microsoft itself expected. (Microsoft officials have predicted the company could have </span><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-well-have-two-thirds-of-office-users-in-the-cloud-by-fiscal-2019/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 116, 199); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">two-thirds of its Office users in the cloud by its fiscal 2019</a><span style="color: rgb(8, 14, 20);">.) Now, it's trying to do something similar for Windows with Microsoft 365: Create a bundle of cloud services anchored by Windows 10 that will provide the company with a recurring revenue stream."</span></p><p><br></p><p><span class="ql-cursor"></span>http://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-and-why-microsoft-is-splitting-up-windows-in-its-latest-reorg/</p>
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Bats
<p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Why is Microsoft still sticking with Panos Panay? It's under his watch where the Surface line of computers were labeled as unreliable and we know that they are not selling well. OR….is this "promotion" as CxO is really a demotion? LOL…I can't forget the stone cold lie that he told about his father teaching him about "quality." If that was really true, would his father be proud of the Surfce's unreliability? Or how about the problems, the Surfacebook, had?</p><p>As for Windows,…</p><p>The problem with Windows is the name…"Windows." If Microsoft wants another computer to be sold utilizing a stripped down version of Windows Pro, like Windows S, they need to come up with a totally different name. With Windows S, people were perhaps thinking that they got a basic version of Windows, which is what they thought they needed. Now Windows S, was either an ill-conceived idea to trap users into the Microsoft ecosystem or a marketing GENIUS to get them to shell $50 for the Windows 10 Pro upgrade. The way I see it (and it's correct), Windows 10 S is Microsoft's version of Chrome OS. If Microsoft changed the name to something like "Microsoft One", then perhaps people wouldn't feel tricked into buying an invalid Operating System. I can't believe Myerson didn't see that coming and perhaps should be replaced. </p><p>All in all, Microsoft needs to clean house. Too many failed products and absolutely ZERO innovation.</p>
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shameermulji
<blockquote><a href="#257512"><em>In reply to chrisrut:</em></a></blockquote><p>better late than never.</p>
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skane2600
<p>I don't think much of Microsoft's strategy since they started working on the Windows 8 fiasco. There are lots of executives to point fingers at. Perhaps only Bill Gates is innocent.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#257837"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>It was definitely an attempt to promote Windows Phones, but no, there was nothing "necessary" about Windows 8. Just a bad idea that Microsoft is still in denial about. </p><p><br></p><p>They could have created a legacy-free touch-optimized OS with a new name that was both superior to WP8 without damaging their core product, Windows. It might not have been enough to make Microsoft a viable competitor in mobile, but it's hard to imagine it could have done any worse.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#257942"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>Still no definitive evidence that the rise of smartphones led to a significant drop in PC sales. Correlation isn't .. you know the drill.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#257983"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Nevertheless, the evidence for gravity is entirely correlation."</p><p><br></p><p>LOL.</p>
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skane2600
<p>An "experiences" group might make sense for a tourist destination or a company that operates Murder Mystery trains, but doesn't bode well for a software company. Group names as marketing?</p>
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Stooks
<p>From a consumer perspective Microsoft matters less and less and less. Only the Xbox still matters to consumers and that is getting crushed by Sony and Nintendo. The consumer market has been bigger than the Enterprise market since 2008 or so in terms of $$$$ spent on products (software/hardware).</p><p><br></p><p>If they get rid of the Xbox in 10 years most consumers will be aware of Microsoft like they are aware of IBM.</p>