Earlier today Kara Swisher reported that Microsoft’s Tami Reller, executive vice president of marketing, and Tony Bates, executive vice president of the company’s
Business Development and Evangelism group will both depart. A reportedly formal announcement date of Tuesday now appears to be little more than a coming perfunctory exercise in rehashing.
If nothing else, the changes indicate that Microsoft under Satya Nadella will look quite different than the firm during Ballmer’s reign, though there doesn’t appear to be indication yet that the company’s new CEO forced the changes.
The exit of Bates is sensible as he was an unselected CEO candidate. Swisher reports that he has received several offers for the top seat at technology firms, and there is recent precedent for Microsoft leaders leaving the mothership for top roles at other companies.
Reller is more interesting, given that before her current role she was part of the duo in charge of Windows in the post-Sinosky era. Her then-cohort Julie Larson-Green recentlypicked up a new, internal role to clear space for the incoming Stephen Elop who will take up her job as the head of Microsoft’s hardware efforts.
In addition to the above, advertising in the new Microsoft appears to have been removed from the hands of Mark Penn. Tom Warren, a reporter who covers Microsoft, remarked on that change this way:
I doubt that view is too controversial either inside or outside the company.
Microsoft declined to comment on the reported executive changes.
