Microsoft"s leadership is seeing another shakeup, as Harry Shum is leaving the company in February of next year, after more than 23 years. The change was announced in an internal message to employees spotted by ZDNet"s Mary Jo Foley.
Shum joined Microsoft in November of 1996 and has served as Executive Vice President for many years. In 2016, as a result of one of the many leadership changes Microsoft has gone through, Shum was appointed as head of the newly-formed AI and Research group, overseeing more than 5,000 employees at the time.
While Shum will remain with Microsoft for a few more months, his role as head of AI and Research will be passed over to Kevin Scott effective immediately. Scott is an Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Shum will continue to work as an advisor to Nadella and Bill Gates until February 2020.
In the message announcing his departure, Nadella thanked Shum for his work at Microsoft over the years:
"Harry has had a profound impact on Microsoft. His contributions in the fields of computer science and AI leave a legacy and a strong foundation for future innovation. I want to thank him for his leadership and partnership, and for all he has done for Microsoft."
It"s currently unknown where Harry Shum will head following the end of his journey with Microsoft, but it doesn"t seem like he will be retiring from the industry.