Panos Panay has stepped down as Chief Product Officer for Microsoft, and reports have emerged regarding his move to the Amazon division responsible for smart devices like Alexa and Echo. According to a report, he will take over from David Limp, Senior Vice President of Devices & Services at Amazon.com.
On September 18, 2023, Panay announced his exit on X.com, stating, "After 19 incredible years at Microsoft, I've decided to turn the page and write the next chapter. I’m forever grateful for my time at Microsoft and the amazing people I had the honor to create products with."
Similarly, in a company-wide email, Rajesh Jha, EVP of Experiences + Devices at Microsoft, wrote, "After nearly 20 years at the company, Panos Panay has decided to leave Microsoft. Panos has had an incredible impact on our products, culture, and the broader devices ecosystem. Under Panos’ leadership, the team created the iconic Surface brand with beloved products. More recently, as the leader of Windows, the team has brought amazing services and experiences to hundreds of millions with Windows 11 on innovative devices, including those from our OEM partners. He will be missed, and I am personally very grateful for his many contributions over the years. Please join me in wishing him well."
With this development, he further announced leadership changes, stating, "Moving forward, we will double down on our strategy. These changes will be effective immediately with Panos’ assistance in the transition.
- Build silicon, systems, and devices that span Windows, client, and cloud for an AI world. This team will be led by Pavan Davuluri, who will report directly to me. Brett Ostrum, Nino Storniolo, Linda Averett, Ken Pan, Ralf Groene, Aidan Marcuss, Carlos Picoto, Stevie Bathiche, Robin Seiler, Ruben Caballero, and Anuj Gosalia will report to Pavan with their teams intact.
- Windows planning and release management will continue to be part of this team. Our commitment to Surface and MR remains unchanged.
- Build experiences that blend web, services, and Windows for an AI world. To this end, Shilpa Ranganathan, Jeff Johnson, and Ali Akgun will report directly to Mikhail Parakhin and form a new Windows and Web Experiences Team, moving with their teams intact.
- Yusuf Mehdi will take on the responsibility of leading the Windows and Surface businesses with our OEM and Retail partners.
- In addition, Charles Simonyi, Terri Chudzik, and Erin Kolb will join the E+D management teams, and Ralf Groene and Mike Davidson will collaborate on the best alignment of design teams."
Panay joined Microsoft in 2000 as Group Program Manager, and throughout his journey with the tech giant, he took on key positions, including General Manager, Surface & PC Hardware, Corporate VP, Surface & PC Hardware, Corporate VP, Microsoft Devices, and his current role as Chief Product Officer. Under his leadership, the Windows + Devices team fused Artificial Intelligence with hardware and software, transforming the way people work, live, create, and learn.
According to internal sources, Panay stepped down from the position after Microsoft announced layoffs and cancelled products under his division. In July 2023, Amazon also announced layoffs and postponed the joining dates of campus hires.
In an email statement, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO at Microsoft, extended wishes to Panay, saying, 'Thank you, Panos, for your impact on our products, culture, company, and industry over the past two decades. I'm grateful for your leadership, support, and all you've done for Microsoft and our customers and partners.'
However, there is currently no information available about his new appointment, as the official announcement is pending due to the ongoing Amazon Devices Event 2023.