Microsoft's Windows and Devices lead now reports directly to CEO Satya Nadella in important leadership shakeup

Microsoft has announced some leadership changes internally that impact the Windows & Devices, Office, and LinkedIn orgs at the company. Rajesh Jha, executive vice president of the Experiences & Devices division has announced that he's retiring, and four leaders are being promoted in his place, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella.

Those four leaders are Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows & Devices, Ryan Roslanksky, Office and LinkedIn lead, Perry Clarke, Microsoft 365 Core lead, and Business and Industry Copilot lead Charles Lamanna.

All four leaders are being promoted to executive vice president roles, and will report directly to Nadella as Jha had before them. Previously, all four team leads reported to Jha.

"After 35+ years at Microsoft, I am moving into retirement. I will transition out on July 1st and then stay in an advisory role," said Jha in a company wide email sent out this morning. "We’re announcing these top-level changes today, and between now and June, my leadership team and I will work together to finalize the full cascade of details needed in this kind of transition. This includes aligning operating rhythms, decision ownership, and details on the future org structure, all so we’ll be fully aligned and ready to run at the start of FY27."

Nadella provided his own message along with Jha's retirement announcement. "As we look to the future, the opportunity ahead is expansive. We have the depth of talent, the product ethos, and a clear sense of purpose as a company to ensure our technology advancements accrue to our mission of empowerment."

With the current Windows chief now reporting directly to the CEO, that's good news for Windows, as it gives the platform a seat at the leadership table once more. Windows has been back and forth from the leadership table over the last decade, but the platform is always better for it when its lead is reporting directly to the man at top.

This year, Microsoft's Windows org is focused on delivering quality updates and improvements that are designed to win back positive sentiment around Windows 11. The company has let the platform stagnate and rot for too long, and people have started to notice.

With Pavan Davuluri now reporting to Nadella, hopefully that gives the CEO a better look-in at how things are going on the Windows side, and encourage stronger focus on addressing feedback from customers and delivering strong updates that don't erode user trust.

🗨️ Will this help Windows succeed?

With Windows (and Surface) now reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella, will we see Windows and Surface take center stage once more as something the company is proud to highlight and innovate with? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

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