This week has been a busy one for Microsoft as the company has announced layoffs and also delayed a few features for Windows 10. Among the departures are CIO Jim DuBois and also CVP of the teams building applications for Windows, William Kennedy.
Officially, both of these individuals are retiring from the company but considering the cuts this week, it is more likely that Microsoft is asking these individuals to step down. DuBois was on sabbatical at the time of this announcement and will be replaced by Kurt Del Bene who will take on the title of Chief Digital Officer and at this time, I do not know if there is a replacement for Kennedy.
The departure for DuBois leaving the company was first reported by Puget Sound Business Journal and Kennedy’s departure was confirmed to me by sources inside the company who asked not to be named.
Microsoft routinely makes cuts as its ranks have swelled up during the past few years and this is the third July in a row where Microsoft has announced layoffs.
While the primary cuts from the layoffs announced this week will come from the sales org and outside the US, it is clear that based on these two positions being reworked that the impact of the announcement reaches outside of that channel. If I hear about any other high-profile changes inside the company, I’ll pass those along once I can verify the information.