The Microsoft internal moves continue, with news out today that executive vice president Eric Rudder (pictured) is leaving his role atop Microsoft Research to instead focus on a perfectly un-parsable role in “Advanced Strategy.” The company is mum on what is next.
TechCrunch reached out by phone, but was unable to learn more on the role’s bent.
Harry Shum, now the former head of Bing’s engineering team, is taking Rudder’s old role. The move of Rudder would be interesting under normal, non-re-org circumstances. He’s been in the role for a blink, taking over for Craig Mundie. However, in this time of internal – hopefully creative and efficacious – turbulence, such transfers are to be expected.
Yesterday, on the news that Windows Phone’s Joe Belfiore will pick up some Internet Explorer duties alongside what appears to be a continuation of his current job, I stated that we should “[e]xpect more transfers and expansions such as the one above in the next few months.” I didn’t mean today, but thanks Microsoft for bearing me out so quickly.
The Belfiore move, of course, was based on another internal transfer at the company in which the head of Internet Explorer Dean Hachamovitch, who is off to work on something “new” at the company. That role, akin to Rudder’s, is occluded in either secrecy or uncertainty. Or both!
I refuse to play CEO bingo with the above information as I have too much work to do today. If you want, the comments are yours.
Top Image Credit: Microsoft