Microsoft is also splitting up some of Panay’s other responsibilities, with Pavan Davuluri, who heads a team focused on silicon, systems, and devices across Windows and cloud, now reporting directly to Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s vice president of experience and devices. The company is also building a new “Windows and Web Experiences” team, led by Mikhail Parakhin, to focus on AI-powered web services for Windows. Despite Panay's departure, Microsoft's strategy for Windows and its focus on AI does not appear to be changing.
Key takeaways:
- Panos Panay, the force behind Microsoft’s Surface line, is leaving the company and reportedly joining Amazon to lead Amazon’s Echo and Alexa push.
- Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s consumer marketing head, will take on the responsibility of leading the Windows and Surface businesses and products externally.
- Microsoft is building a new “Windows and Web Experiences” team focused on AI-powered web services for Windows, led by Mikhail Parakhin.
- The future of Microsoft's hardware innovation is uncertain, with rumors of scrapped plans for a dual-screen Surface Duo 3 and discontinued mice, keyboards, and webcams in favor of Surface accessories.