Microsoft is shaking up its leadership team to help the company focus more on artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, the software giant promoted four sales executives to the rank of Executive Vice President. This decision follows the recent appointment of Judson Althoff as the CEO of Microsoft’s commercial business.
The company wants to give Althoff more room to work on Microsoft’s overall AI product strategy. By handing more responsibility to these four leaders, Althoff can focus on making sure the company’s AI tools—like the Microsoft 365 Copilot—actually solve problems for customers. A Microsoft spokesperson explained that customers expect these new AI features to arrive faster than ever. To keep up, the company needs to shorten the “feedback loop” between the people buying the software and the people building it.
This shuffle comes at a challenging time for Microsoft. Even though it is a frontrunner in the AI race, its stock price has dropped 15% this year, trailing behind other big tech names. Last week, the company reported that growth for its Azure cloud business didn’t quite hit the high marks that some investors expected. Microsoft is currently trying to balance its resources, pouring money into research and development for AI while trying to keep up with the massive demand for its cloud services.
The four newly promoted leaders bring years of experience to their new roles. Deb Cupp, who leads global enterprise sales, is one of the new executive vice presidents. Nick Parker, a veteran who has been with Microsoft since 2000, also moved up to that rank. Ralph Haupter, who previously ran the company’s business in China, will now oversee sales for small and medium businesses.
While Althoff handles the business and sales side, Microsoft’s overall CEO, Satya Nadella, is spending more time on the technical future. By delegating the daily management of sales to this new group of vice presidents, Microsoft hopes it can move faster and prove to investors that its AI bets will pay off.
