In a executive rejig at Redmond, Stephen Elop, the former Nokia head and yesteryear’s VP of devices and services division, has left Microsoft. Elop was the one who led Nokia into its partnership with Microsoft for the Lumia devices which ultimately led to extinction of Nokia as a mobile brand. Another associate of Elop, Jo Harlow who came from Nokia after the acquisition has been given the red card as well. Executive VP, Terry Myerson will now lead the newly formed WDG (Windows and devices group), which will focus on enabling better personal computing experiences.
This rejig or reorganization (as Microsoft calls it) is being done to align company’s efforts and capabilities to deliver results more effectively. Microsoft chief Satya Nadella said, “This change will enable us to deliver better products and services that our customers love at a more rapid pace.” In an email to Microsoft employees Satya Nadella says, “Stephen and I have agreed that now is the right time for him to retire from Microsoft. I regret the loss of leadership that this represents, and look forward to seeing where his next destination will be.”
Besides Stephen Elop and Jo Harlow, three more executives are leaving the Microsoft bandwagon, Kirill Tatarinov, Eric Rudder and Mark Penn. While Kirill Tatarinov and Mark Penn have been handling the company’s business solutions group and advanced strategy group respectively, Eric Rudder has been a part of Microsoft for over 25 years. Both Kirill Tatarinov and Eric Rudder along with Stephen Elop will be leaving Microsoft after a designated transition period. As for Mark Penn he is leaving the company to form a private equity fund.