Microsoft reshuffles executives

By Dawn Kawamoto
Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: August 1, 2006 12:11 PM PDT

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Microsoft announced executive changes within its Platform and Services Division on Tuesday, with longtime top Windows engineer and executive Brian Valentine set to take on a new role once Vista is commercially available.

The software giant said it is restructuring the group to sharpen its technology vision and bolster its response to customers. The changes come amid worries about delays in getting Vista out the door. The next version of Windows is now slated for release in early 2007.

As part of the executive changes, Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System Division (COSD), will transition to a new role in another area of the company. He has worked in Windows for the past seven years.

Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of engineering excellence, is immediately joining the platform division as senior vice president of engineering. He will also serve as co-lead on COSD with Valentine. In his new role, DeVaan will lead Windows operating system development and cross-platform integration, and work closely with Steven Sinofsky, the newly appointed head of the Windows division, on products and services that will follow Vista.

Gary Flake, who heads Microsoft's Live Labs, and the labs team will immediately move to the platform division, where they will continue to focus on research projects and developing online services. His team will report to Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect.

Dave Cutler, a senior technical fellow, and Amitabh Srivastava, corporate vice president of COSD, will work directly with Ozzie on developing Live products and services after Vista is released into manufacturing.

The move is the latest by Microsoft as it continues to reshape its Windows management team. The reorganization started in earnest last fall, when Jim Allchin, one of the company's most senior executives and the driving force behind Windows management and development, said he plans to retire following the shipment of Vista.