Ozzie Leaves Microsoft

Not quite as big as when Bill Gates left, but Ozzie leaving Microsoft is another big one.

Ray Ozzie played a large role in developing Microsoft’s cloud strategy and is retiring. I knew this whole cloud thing was all hype. Ozzie was hired five years ago with the freshly minted title Chief Software Architect. He is not being replaced, the title is being retired and Microsoft will be framing one of his oxford blue shirts.

Good coverage Read Write Enterprise.

Our own Frederic Lardinois wrote recently that the Microsoft Tanker Has Turned and You Ignore it at Your Own Peril. This move by Ozzie could mean one of two things:

1. The tanker has successfully turned, and Ozzie doesn’t see himself as necessary to the process anymore.
2. The tanker is in a more precarious position than we previously thought, and the captain is abandoning ship.

The New York Times also chimes in:

Microsoft’s cloud story has been mixed under Mr. Ozzie’s leadership. The company has a number of huge services like Hotmail and Xbox live and online versions of its corporate e-mail and collaboration software. But it took Microsoft years to build the Azure platform that stands as its highest profile cloud play, allowing companies like Amazon.com and Salesforce.com to strengthen their positions in the market.

There will plenty of coverage to follow. I doubt there is much impact to Lync as I still don’t know if its cloud strategy is thunk out yet.