Today, Microsoft announced that chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, would be stepping down from his CSA role as he transitions towards retirement. In a company-wide memo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wrote:
He [Ray] will remain with the company as he transitions the teams and ongoing strategic projects within his organization – bringing the great innovations and great innovators he’s assembled into the groups driving our business. Following the natural transition time with his teams but before he retires from Microsoft, Ray will be focusing his efforts in the broader area of entertainment where Microsoft has many ongoing investments. We have tremendous opportunities in the entertainment space overall, and I’m excited about what we can accomplish. Beyond that, Ray has no plans at this time. While he’ll continue to report to me during the transition, the CSA role was unique and I won’t refill the role after Ray’s departure. We have a strong planning process, strong technical leaders in each business group and strong innovation heading to the market.
The rest of the memo gives thanks to Mr. Ozzie for his service and leadership at Microsoft; especially his work in cloud computing. Hit the read link to see the full memo.