Microsoft, a traditional technology giant and leader in the field of AI, is about to hold an autumn new product launch conference on Thursday local time. Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer in charge of the Windows and Surface business lines, was supposed to be the protagonist of this week, but at this juncture he announced his resignation.

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Panay simply announced on social media,After 19 years at Microsoft, he decided to "open a new chapter." However, he did not reveal his next move, and also restricted netizens from commenting on this tweet.


(Source: X)

According to the latest insider information before publication,Panay's next home is likely to be Amazon, where he will take over the Alexa and Echo product lines. Dave Limp, Amazon's longtime hardware chief, announced earlier that he would retire at the end of the year. By the way,Amazon will hold an autumn new product launch conference on Wednesday, and may launch new TV boxes, tablets and Kindle readers.

There are various signs that Panay's resignation seems to be somewhat hasty. Just 3 weeks ago, he was talking on social media about looking forward to attending the Microsoft press conference on September 21 to talk about the latest "AI innovation." Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw also confirmed on Monday thatPanay will not appear at this week's Microsoft event.

Panay joined Microsoft in 2004. After making a name for himself in the Surface business, he became Microsoft's chief product officer in 2018 and led the development of Windows 11. The most recent promotion was in 2021, when he became executive vice president of Microsoft and reported directly to Nadella.

Over the past few years, Panay has been an important player in Microsoft's new product launch process. For example, at this year's Build conference, Panay demonstrated Windows Copilot to developers in detail, and at previous autumn Surface conferences, Panay was also the absolute protagonist. Therefore, it is still unknown to what extent this week's conference will be affected after Panai's resignation.



(Source: Live video)

A Microsoft spokesperson said that at this week's New York press conference, Microsoft CEO Nadella will appear together with the heads of various product lines. According to current expectations, Microsoft will upgrade the Surface product line this week, and will also detail the latest progress in the AI ​​field of Windows, Microsoft 365 and other software.

Putting the press conference aside for now, Microsoft’s management change has been completed. Group Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha announced in an employee letter on Monday that Microsoft Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi will take over the Windows and Surface businesses. In addition, 75-year-old Charles Simonyi will join the management team of the Experience and Equipment Group. Simonyi is the veteran who led the development of Word and Excel.


(YusufMehdi, source: live video)

Jha also promised in a letter to employees,The company remains committed to developing Surface and mixed reality devices. At the same time, Panay will stay with the company "long enough" to help his successor take over his position.

According to Microsoft’s most recent financial report released in July this year,The company's equipment business revenue fell 20% year-on-year. Regarding the Surface product line, the well-known technology blog Tom’s Guide commented that although Surface Laptop Studio is a very interesting product, Surface Go, Surface Laptop and Surface Pro have all suffered from a lack of creativity in recent years.