Effective for over 35 years: Microsoft veteran Rajesh Jha announces retirement, four executives promoted to report directly to the CEO

IT Home, March 13th News, the technology media The Verge published a blog yesterday (March 12th), reporting that Microsoft Vice President of Experience and Devices Rajesh Jha announced his retirement after 35 years in the role, and will transition to an advisory position starting July 1st.

IT Home quotes the blog, stating that Jha has worked at Microsoft for over 35 years, leading the transformation of the Office suite to the cloud, and recently overseeing core businesses such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Windows, and Office. According to an internal memo, Jha will leave at the end of June and will become an advisor from July 1st to assist the company with the transition.

Along with this personnel change, Microsoft’s management structure has triggered a deep reorganization. Microsoft has decided not to appoint a direct successor to Jha, but instead to improve the reporting hierarchy of core businesses through a flattening approach.

The four senior executives who previously reported to Jha have now been promoted to Executive Vice Presidents and will report directly to CEO Satya Nadella. These four executives include:

In a letter to employees, Nadella highly praised Jha’s contributions, calling him one of the “stellar leaders” who shaped Microsoft, and emphasizing that Jha embodied the commitment and dedication needed to drive the company’s transformation. Nadella stated that it is based on the solid foundation laid by Jha that Microsoft can continue to move forward in the future.

This adjustment is a continuation of Nadella’s recent efforts to optimize the management chain. Last year, he appointed Judson Althoff to oversee business operations so he could focus more on technology development.

Although the management structure has changed, Microsoft’s core strategic priorities remain unchanged. Jha explicitly stated in the memo that the company’s work around the “Secure Future Initiative” (SFI), “Quality Engineering Initiative” (QEI), and Copilot will not change.