I was surprised to hear of the departure of Terry Myerson, Microsoft Windows & Devices chief, in one of their biggest reorganisations. They are splitting their Windows and Devices (Surface/Xbox) Group across “Experiences & Devices” and “Cloud + AI” Teams.
While Microsoft reorg’s are not unusual this one is a sign that the desktop is becoming less important for Microsoft (and the world). Mary Jo Foley has a good summary of the impacts of these changes:
Why Microsoft is splitting up Windows in its latest reorganization - All About Microsoft
Connecting the dots: Here are some of the whys and hows around Microsoft's latest reorg -- and especially how it affects Windows and Devices.
Terry’s farewell (posted on LinkedIn) reviews a career which covers a fair chunk of the time I’ve been using Windows and Microsoft Devices. Some were great, some were not, and I still miss my Windows Phone!
Sadly their failure in mobile is probably the biggest miss in execution in Microsoft history and a big factor in the need to transform the company from OS & Devices more to cloud services.
That is something they are doing rather well, certainly profitably with Azure and Office365, but it makes you wonder where (given Apple’s weakness there) the future of the desktop lies. Although not ‘exciting’–like mobile, AR/VR and gaming–they are still where a lot of the world works!
Thank you for 21 years, and onto the next chapter - Linkedin.com
Terry Myerson - Executive Vice President, Microsoft Windows and Devices Group
