Microsoft's Windows chief Panos Panay is leaving after 19 years, heading to Amazon next

Microsoft’s Windows chief steps down: Microsoft’s Windows and Surface chief Panos Panay is leaving the company after a nearly 19-year-long stint at the company where he spear-headed the creation of the Surface line of personal computers. He also spearheaded the launch of Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system, that is, Windows 11. He is headed to Amazon next wherein he is expected to oversee the company’s hardware business.

Reacting to the occasion, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella thanked Panay for his “impact on our products, culture, company, and industry over the past two decades. I’m grateful for your leadership, support, and all you’ve done for Microsoft and our customers and partners.”

After Panay’s departure from the company, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of modern life, search, and devices, will take his place as the head of the Windows and Surface businesses, while Pavan Davuluri will lead a hardware engineering team that includes Microsoft’s efforts to develop its own chips.

As far as Panay’s future plans are concerned, he will be taking over from Dave Limp, Amazon’s outgoing head of Amazon devices and services who has been with the company for nearly 14 years.

Last month, Limp confirmed he is stepping down. Under his leadership, Amazon became one of the world’s leading innovators in building devices and underlying services that customers love. His departure came amid reports that Amazon’s costly bet on smart home devices has not paid off well.

“From Kindle readers to Fire TV to Alexa and Echo, over the past decade and a half we’ve been able to invent and keep improving experiences that help make our customers’ lives better every day,” according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Panay is likely to run Amazon’s division for its Alexa and Echo speakers.

He joined Microsoft in 2004 as a group programme manager and became the company’s chief product officer in 2018, where he led the development of Windows 11. In 2021, Panay was promoted to executive vice president as part of the top leadership team under Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella.

With agency inputs