New Delhi, September 18 (IANS): Panos Panay, Windows’ chief product officer who also led the company’s Surface devices, announced Monday that he is leaving Microsoft after “19 incredible years.” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s vice president of modern living, search and devices, will take his place at the helm of the Windows and Surface businesses.
Panay joined Microsoft in 2004 as a group program manager and became the company’s chief product officer in 2018, where he led the development of Windows 11.
In 2021, Panay was promoted to executive vice president as part of the senior leadership team led by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
“I decided to turn the page and write the next chapter. I will be forever grateful for my time at Microsoft and the amazing people I had the honor of building products with,” Panay said in an article on X.
“Thank you, Panos, for your impact on our products, our culture, our company and our industry over the past two decades,” Nadella said in a statement.
“I am grateful for your leadership, your support and everything you have done for Microsoft and our customers and partners,” he added.
In an internal email, Rajesh Jha, vice president of experience and devices at Microsoft, told employees that Panay had decided to leave the company.
Most recently, as a Windows leader, Panay’s team has brought “incredible services and experiences to hundreds of millions of people with Windows 11 on innovative devices, including those from our OEM partners.”
“In the future, we will double down on our strategy. These changes will take effect immediately with Panos’ assistance in the transition,” Jha wrote.
“He will be missed and I am personally very grateful for his many contributions over the years,” he added.
