“Microsoft announced a sweeping shake-up of its executive ranks Thursday, placing new executives over operations facing fierce new competition from Google, Apple and cellphone makers,” Saul Hansell and John Markoff report for The New York Times.
“The announcements were part of a broad management reorganization involving seven new senior vice presidents and seven new corporate vice presidents,” Hansell and Markoff report. “One of the more significant leadership changes was in the cellphone operations. Andy Lees was named senior vice president for mobile communications operations. Mr. Lees, who had overseen the server business, succeeds Pieter Knook, who, the company said, ‘made the decision to leave Microsoft to pursue other opportunities.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, right. Probably wants “to spend more time with his family,” too.
Hansell and Markoff continue, “Microsoft has been paying more attention to its cellphone business following the introduction of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android software operating system. In only a few months of the iPhone’s release, according to Canalys, a market research firm, Apple gained 28 percent of the smartphone market in the United States, a greater share of the market than the cellphones using Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software.”
“The other major change was the replacement of Steve Berkowitz, the current senior vice president of Microsoft’s Online Services group,” Hansell and Markoff report. “Mr. Berkowitz, the former chief executive of the online site Ask Jeeves, was hired with great fanfare in April 2006 to help revive Microsoft’s search and portal operations. Microsoft has been unable to make a dent in Google’s growing dominance in search and search advertising. Mr. Berkowitz will leave the company this August, the company said.”
More on which deck chairs are being rearranged here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Bill” (no, not that Bill) for the heads up.]
A fish rots from the head down.
To Jubei: Good point.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what is and is not supported.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa338201.aspx
Take a look a the blog link that Bill provided. This sounds like a genuine clusterfsck.
As long as the long-tongued-one is still there, Steve and Apple have M$ right where they want them…in their rear view mirrors and RECEDING (with photocopiers smokin’).
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic is an apt metaphor: M$ is an over-rated, slow-moving, oblivious-to-the-icebergs-all-around-it, disaster movie waiting to happen. Its biggest iceberg may just be this hostile Yahoo takeover.
Yo, MicroSloth, for what it’s worth, all that glitters is not gold.
Peace.
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Olmecmystic
I thought Ballmer was the iceberg. Or is he the walrus?
Worst mental picture ever: Ballmer holding Gates at the bow of the ship: “Look Steve I’m flying” Celine Dion plays in the background.
*Yawn*
Microsoft does this all the time. The reasons that they give for this is just window dressing. Microsoft has a byzantine, navel-gazing organizational structure that is beginning to collapse under its own weight. The real reasons for the changes probably have to do with internal politics.
I work for a company that hired an ex-Microsoft employee. For a while we had a little trouble understanding him. It turned out that he was using internal Microsoft slang and didn’t know that no one outside Microsoft used those terms. (For example, “alias” is Microsoftese for “email address.”)
Microsoft sometimes forgets there is an outside world.
“Ballmer holding Gates at the bow of the ship . . .”
That sure beats the image of Gates sketching Ballmer spread out on the sofa.
Walrus? how’s the saying go?
I am the eggman…
I am the walrus.
Right you are.
Walrus it is
I liked this description of MS:
Managers over managers over managers over managers over mangers over managers over managers looking after managers who oversee 20 people…
Everything they design has been designed by committees of managers terrified to make decisions for fear of other committees of managers being upset.
Two things…
One, what about the large elephant that’s still in room… Balmier?
What happens to him?
That’s the real issue with the long history of failure at M$… along with it’s greed!
Secondly, how in the hell can anyone at M$ develop a counter-solution to OS X, as long as they are forced to use Vista… just can’t be done! Because they have no way of judging quality… sad but true!
“Everything they design has been designed by committees . . .”
Yeah, but the new coversheets for Microsoft’s TPS reports kick ass. Twenty-seven different fonts including four new dingbat styles.
Since you asked, <<Ask Yourself
Does anyone around here really believe that that either the old or new VPs at MSoft really feel any threat whatsoever from Steve Jobs’ hardware, his OS, or his software?
If you do, please cite some actual reference to your belief other than the Mac having captured another fraction of a percentage point of the world wide market the two companies are competiting for?>>
MS just bought Danger, the maker of the Sidekick, last week.
Let’s see, they’re not part of the OHA. Why would they do that? Why would they want to compete with their own Windows Mobile handset makers? Why would they go back on Ballmer’s quote from last year’s CES, that they were happy with their current strategy of providing the OS, to 70 or 80% of the smartphone market? (Of course Ballmer had the percentages wrong) I mean, saying your happy with your strategy, and then doing something that is the exact opposite, says what?
Fear? Uncertainty? Doubt? Stupidity?
What does rearranging the deck chairs of upper management say? Happiness?
Maybe if we all wish very hard, ZT will give us his pearls of wisdom on the subject.
Ballmer having other people walk the plank is a sure sign of his job being considered to walk the plank in due time…it is inevitable. The anti-perspirant companies are crying, as Ballmer’s sweaty armpits will soon no longer lead the way.
Would MDN take Obama yo mama’s picture off the site…it is affecting my download time.
“MS stold the technology…”
Dude… “stold”? Come on. Lern to spel.
The only “deck chairs” that need rearranging are the ones that Balmer and Gates sit on. They need to be tossed into the sea. Then Microshaft needs to put someone at the top who has a sense of taste.
I really get a lot of exercise when Ballmer helps re-arrange those deck chairs!
‘he could run naked through the building covered in his own excrement while setting people on fire’
I think that was actually G.G. Allin. Maybe he faked his death to take over Microsoft?
But I digress-yes, please do keep Monkey Boy as CEO and that Kojak looking guy in charge of that music thingy! They are without question leading Microsoft exactly where it needs to go.
‘The anti-perspirant companies are cryin”, you slay me, lol.
I agree, as long as Ballmer’s still the guy who gets to throw the big chair, that company’s got nothing ahead of it but a steady decline.
-jcr
“Does anyone around here really believe that that either the old or new VPs at MSoft really feel any threat whatsoever from Steve Jobs’ hardware, his OS, or his software?”
Well, the pattern of trying to copy Apple would seem to indicate that they do.
-jcr
This is all much ado about nothing. Microsoft has nothing to fear from Google or Apple, in fact, they’re as strong as ever. I always thought that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, however Microsoft is always evolving and this is just part of the process for a truly innovative organization.
I’ll tell you what—Apple could use a shake up to get some fresh ideas going in Cupertino. You can’t live off poor imitations of Microsoft technology forever.
Your potential. Our passion.™
“You can’t live off poor imitations of Microsoft technology forever.”
Ironically, that’s a perfect description of Vista.
@Ampar
“That sure beats the image of Gates sketching Ballmer spread out on the sofa.”
LOL!
You are the king.
Now, gotta clean up my coffee.
Thanks, AAPLguy.
I picked that one over Gates and Ballmer sneaking into the back seat of a car below decks and fogging up the windows.
Ah MDN, the title made me literally LOL.
What’s up Amp?