Microsoft appoints Pavan Davuluri to head Windows and Surface teams

Microsoft, a global technology company, has appointed Pavan Davuluri, a long-time company veteran, to lead its Windows operating system and Surface devices teams. Davuluri, who has been with the company since 2001 and held the role of corporate vice president for almost three years, will be taking on additional responsibilities in his new position.

Strategic Importance of Windows

Windows, a key product for Microsoft, plays a critical role for the company. Many clients factor in their reliance on Windows when making decisions about which cloud infrastructure to use for their information-technology projects. This strategic importance remains high even as Microsoft and other public companies adapt their strategies to capitalize on the growing interest in generative artificial intelligence.

Recent Developments

This announcement follows closely on the heels of Microsoft's recent hiring of former DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to head the newly established Microsoft AI organization. As part of this reorganization, Mikhail Parakhin, CEO of advertising and web services, will now oversee other roles and report to Kevin Scott, Microsoft's technology chief.

Furthermore, Microsoft unveiled its first Surface PCs with a Copilot button, designed to provide quick access to the chatbot in Windows, signaling a continued focus on innovation in its product offerings.

Reorganization and New Leadership

Following the creation of the Microsoft AI organization, the Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices teams will be merged to form a core part of the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division. This integration will enable a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for the AI era, with Pavan Davuluri leading this new team and reporting directly to the company's executive, Rajesh Jha.

Additionally, the Web Experiences team will now report into Mustafa in the new Microsoft AI organization.

Key Appointments and Reporting Structure

• Jordi Ribas will lead Search, Maps, and Platforms with Andrey Proskurin, Fatima Kardar, and Nick Lee reporting to him.
• Rukmini Iyer will lead Advertising with Paul Viola and Weiqing Tu reporting to her.
• Mike Davidson continues to lead Design and will collaborate with Pavan and the team on realigning Windows design.
• Ali Akgun, Kya Sainsbury-Carter, Qi Zhang, and Rajesh Sundaram's roles remain unchanged. They will join the Microsoft AI leadership team along with Jordi, Mike, and Rukmini, all reporting to Mustafa.

Future Outlook

This restructuring and realignment of key teams within Microsoft aim to support the company's bold ambition to develop world-class consumer AI products. Microsoft is looking forward to closely partnering with Mustafa and the team to integrate AI products, including Copilot, into a wide range of E+D products and services.

This announcement comes amid broader challenges facing the big tech industry and Microsoft has been navigating these issues while continuing to innovate and evolve its product offerings.