A big shakeup at the top of the Microsoft org chart is reportedly taking place as Tony Bates and Tami Reller are said to be leaving the company. The report comes from Kara Swisher who was a leading source of information about the naming of Satya Nadella as Microsoft's CEO which means this report, is likely accurate.
After the naming of a CEO at any company, there is generally some exodus at the top of the org chart. This has proven true at Microsoft but the exact reasons for the depurate is not known but any way you look at it, the net result is a shakeup to Microsoft's leadership team.
The departure of Bates is somewhat unexpected as he was a leading contender for the CEO role after Ballmer announced his retirement. According to many reports, Bates was in the running for CEO but obviously did not get the spot and this could be the reason for his exit. Reller, on the other hand, was expected to potentially depart after growing tensions at the top of her org chart.
Bates is reported to be leaving immediately and Eric Rudder will take on his responsibilities and Mark Penn will take over Reller's duties. It was Mark Penn who reportedly perturbed Reller and that may have lead to her leaving the company.
There are a couple of ways to look at this, one is that Bates and Reller are both incredibly talented executives and this could be a huge loss for the company. Or, you could take this from the mindset that new blood in the executive roles could help to transform Microsoft to it's 'Devices and Services' model with fewer hiccups and a fresh set of executive strategies.
While we wait for Microsoft to either confirm or deny these reports, if true, will result in new faces running some of Microsoft's key business lines.
Source: Re/Code
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