“Less than 24 hours after the launch of Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft corporate vice president Martin Taylor, who oversaw the product’s launch, has made a surprise departure from the Redmond company. Taylor was a 13-year veteran of Microsoft and a top advisor to company CEO Steve Ballmer,” Nate Mook reports for BetaNews.
“Before becoming a corporate VP of Windows Live and MSN in March, Taylor spearheaded Microsoft’s ‘Get the Facts’ campaign that responded to the threat from Linux and open source. He was expected to play a major role in shaping the Windows Live strategy, and was featured in a Microsoft Q&A on Monday,” Mook reports.
“‘Given Martin’s role, yesterday’s Q&A and the way Microsoft departures are typically disclosed, I would characterize his exit as sudden–and unexpected,’ commented Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox. ‘Most certainly, it’s a blow when any company loses a veteran executive. But, as much as I hate to admit it, anyone can be replaced,'” Mook reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Rockin’ Rod” for the heads up.]
Reuters reports, “The departure comes at a time when Microsoft is struggling to solidify new sources of revenue growth. Microsoft did not detail why Martin Taylor left the world’s biggest software maker after the 13-year company veteran was appointed in March to lead marketing efforts for Windows Live.”
“Taylor’s departure follows the decision announced last week by Microsoft’s co-founder and the world’s richest man Bill Gates that over the next two years he would ease out of a day-to-day role at the company to focus more on philanthropy,” Reuters reports. “Gates, who also stepped down last week as chief software architect for Microsoft, passed the technical mantle to Ray Ozzie. Ozzie joined the software maker last year and is at the heart of its push to maintain its dominance by transforming software into services that generate an ongoing stream of revenue instead of just a one-time sale.”
Reuters reports, “‘The fact is that with Ray Ozzie as chief software architect he probably wants to have his own team of people around him,’ Bajarin said. ‘In a lot of cases, people from the past don’t fit in.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In a lot of cases, rats don’t stay aboard sinking ships, either. What would you tell Steve Ballmer if you were his “top advisor?” Those jokes just write themselves! We’ll leave them to you below. And, come on, Windows Live? Yeah, right. Of all the companies to which we’d entrust our data via the Internet, “The King of Insecurity” Microsoft is dead last on the list.
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Related article:
Bill Gates to transition out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft – June 15, 2006
