Amazon Poaches Microsoft's Product Chief Ahead Of Its Annual Devices Event: Report

After Microsoft Corp. MSFT Chief Product Officer Panos Panay confirmed that he is leaving the software giant, a Bloomberg report said he is shifting base to Amazon, Inc. AMZN.

What Happened: Panay said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “After 19 incredible years at Microsoft, I’ve decided to turn the page and write the next chapter.”

“I'm forever grateful for my time at Microsoft and the amazing people I had the honor to make products with.”

Panay’s LinkedIn profile, however, does not reflect the departure. From April 2018 to date, he served as chief product officer and led Windows development and Microsoft’s Surface line. The move appears to be abrupt. Panay said in late August that he was “pumped to be in NYC on September 21 talking AI innovation from Microsoft!”

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s consumer chief marketing officer, has reportedly taken over from Panay.

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Switch Over To Amazon? Bloomberg has since then reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Amazon has hired Panay to run the division responsible for Alexa and the Echo smart speakers.

According to people familiar with the situation, Amazon.com Inc. is hiring Microsoft Corp.'s product chief to run the division responsible for Alexa and the Echo smart speakers.

Amazon’s hardware chief, Dave Limp, a veteran at the company, confirmed last month that he plans to retire from the company before the end of the year.

The development assumes importance as Amazon is scheduled to hold its new Devices & Services, which is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. “The immediate departure [Panay’s] from Microsoft could imply Amazon will use that showcase to promote their major hire, which is a massive win for the struggling group,” said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in a post on X.

In premarket trading on Tuesday, Microsoft edged up 0.12% at $329.46 and Amazon rose 0.07% to $140.08, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Photo by Volodymyr Kyrylyuk on Shutterstock

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