Business & Tech

Major Structural Changes Announced at Microsoft

Do you think the company is headed in the right direction? Tell us in the comments section.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmerannounced on Thursday a series of structural changes he says will help the Redmond-based company "innovate with greater speed, efficiency and capability in a fast changing world."

Do you think the reorganization is a positive change for Microsoft? Tell us in the comments section.

In a lengthy email to employees, Ballmer outlines a new strategy to streamline the company's product-based divisions into a more coherent structure. Under the heading "One Strategy, One Microsoft," Ballmer says the company will now be organized into eight function-based divisions: "Engineering (including supply chain and datacenters), Marketing, Business Development and Evangelism, Advanced Strategy and Research, Finance, HR, Legal, and COO (including field, support, commercial operations and IT)."

There will be four engineering sub-divisions: OS, apps, cloud and devices.

Local technology blog GeekWire observes that the reorganization aligns with Microsoft's efforts to shift away from its PC- and software-based past to a future focused on "devices and services." 

Several executives are being shuffled in the reorganization, but GeekWire says layoffs are not expected. Click here to read the full GeekWire post and here to read the entirety of Ballmer's email.


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