Microsoft’s former product boss, Panos Panay, is said to have left the company due to dissatisfaction with budget and device planning. This is what the magazine reports insider citing people familiar with the events who wished to remain anonymous. However, the identities are known to insiders.
In the course of financing its recent AI efforts, Microsoft is said to have canceled funding for projects in the product area. Teams under Panay’s responsibility are said to have been reduced in size, and Microsoft is said to have stopped product development and discussed a complete reorganization of the product development department.
Panay is said to have disagreed with these steps, which is why he left Microsoft, quite surprisingly to the outside world, and – according to rumors – moved to Amazon. Internally, the departure was clearly expected, as Panay was said to have been dissatisfied for a long time.
The Surface series was built under Panay
Panay is one of the main people responsible for the Surface series and has been responsible for Microsoft’s Windows + Devices division since 2018. The hardware developed by the product department has been said to have been underperforming financial expectations for years and this is why the recent cuts are said to have occurred.
Among other things, a new generation of Surface headphones is said to have been canceled. According to the insiders, Microsoft should try to focus more on best-sellers than on experimental products, which are more likely to not be well received by consumers.
Neither Panay, Microsoft or Amazon have commented on the transfer rumors. As expected, Panay was not yet on stage at the presentation of the latest Amazon devices. Panay is set to replace Amazon’s long-time device chief Dave Limp.