Allchin discusses possible changes at Microsoft
eWeek | at | by Mike
A shake-up in the management and responsibilities of some of Microsoft Corp.'s key Windows client and server team executives could be in the cards when Jim Allchin, the co-president of Microsoft's Platforms, Products and Services division, retires at the end of the year.
Asked if Johnson's appointment was a deliberate move away from having a technical person in charge [Allchin] to a more business, sales and marketing focused leader [Johnson], Allchin said that, in his opinion, Johnson "is just a great leader, and that is why I was so excited to be able to work with him."
It was also just too early to say if the role of some of the current executives with a deep technical knowledge of Windows, like Brian Valentine, the senior vice president for the Windows Core Operating System Division, would change.
And, while Valentine had a broad and deep technical knowledge of Windows that would be useful to Johnson in the role he assumes once Allchin retires, "to be clear, that deep technological knowledge can be used in a lot of places," Allchin said.