Bill Gates’ successor and Microsoft research boss to retire in 2014


The security and research chief of Microsoft, Craig Mundie, will be retiring sooner than expected in 2014.

Mundie has been with the American tech giant for 20 years and was given the responsibility by Bill Gates to oversee the company’s security program as well as its Research and Development department.

Gates handpicked Mundie before he retired and relinquished his day-to-day responsibility in 2008.

Before Mundie will retire, he will act as a senior adviser to the current company chief, Steve Ballmer.
Following his appointment by Microsfot co-founder Bill Gates, Mundie helmed Microsoft’s Research, Trustworthy Computing Program, and technology policy groups. His position gave him the power to decide what areas Microsoft needs to improve software security and where to allocate bugdet for research.

Eric Rudder will now handle these responsibilities. Rudder was the former chief technical strategy officer of Microsoft.

In his current capacity as senior adviser to Ballmer, Mundie will be working with the company CEO on “key strategic projects” within the company, and will act as a liaison between Microsoft and the government and other businesses “on technology policy, regulation and standards”, based on his autobiography posted on the website of Microsoft.

According to the Seattle Times, Mundie’s recent role is part of Ballmer’s strategy to bring in a new team that can help transform Microsoft into a competitive giant in the web- and mobile-centered industry today.
Mr Mundie is the second high ranking officer to vacate their position in less than a month’s time.

Two men chosen by Bill Gates to handle the technical responsibilities of the company will no longer be at Microsoft. After Gates announced in 2006 that he would be leaving Microsoft, he picked Ray Ozzie, a respected software programmer to handle his role as “chief software architect”. Ozzie left Microsoft two years ago.

Mundie became associated with Microsoft in 1992 and has worked in several of the company’s projects that include interactive TV, videogames, and mobile software. He also played significant roles at the company in government regulatory policy, and in software and internet security.

“I look forward to working with Eric on a broader scope of the company’s businesses and partnering closely with Craig on the company’s future opportunities,” Ballmer was quoted saying in his memo.

Last November saw the company’s head of Windows division, Steven Sinofsky, leaving the company without prior announcement. His resignation came after Windows 8, the newest operating system of Microsoft that has its eye on the lucrative mobile industry, was launched.

Sinofsky was the supposed to be the public face of the new operating system and it was expected that he would stay to continue the development of the software and its other future versions.







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