Microsoft Names India-Born Pavan Davuluri as Its New Windows and Surface Chief

• ByStartupStory     |    March 27, 2024

Microsoft has appointed Indian-American executive Pavan Davuluri as its new chief for Windows and Surface, as reported by a leading US-based publication.

Davuluri, an esteemed alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, now joins the ranks of prominent Indian-origin leaders in major tech companies worldwide. Notable figures include Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet and Google, and Satya Nadella, the Hyderabad-born CEO of Microsoft for the past decade. The list further extends to Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, Neal Mohan from YouTube, and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe.

Reacting to Davuluri’s appointment, Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean of Alumni and Corporate Relations at IIT Madras, expressed satisfaction, stating, “We’re happy to see alumni like Pavan take on leadership positions in large companies that matter to our daily lives like Microsoft. It’s been a privilege to see students who have come through these corridors grow in stature to become global corporate leaders.”

According to reports from technology news website The Verge, Microsoft underwent organizational restructuring following the departure of former product lead Panos Panay to Amazon last year. This restructuring led to the separation of the Windows and Surface groups, with Davuluri assuming responsibility for Surface silicon and devices, while Mikhail Parakhin led a new team focused on Windows and web experiences.

However, recent developments indicate a consolidation within Microsoft’s leadership structure. The company is bringing together its Windows and devices teams once more, as confirmed by an internal memo from Microsoft’s head of experiences and devices, Rajesh Jha. Quoting the memo, The Verge noted Jha’s vision for a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices in the AI era.

Microsoft has confirmed Davuluri’s appointment and his reporting structure to Rajesh Jha. Davuluri boasts an impressive tenure of over 23 years at Microsoft, during which he played a pivotal role in collaborations with industry giants Qualcomm and AMD to develop custom Surface processors.

This announcement comes on the heels of another significant addition to Microsoft’s leadership team, with Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Google DeepMind and former CEO of Inflection AI, joining as the CEO of a new AI team.

According to ET, Microsoft stated, “We can confirm the memo in The Verge is accurate. Microsoft doesn’t have any additional comment at this time.”

As Pavan Davuluri assumes his new role, he steps into a pivotal position driving innovation and strategy within Microsoft’s Windows and Surface divisions, further solidifying the company’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology solutions to users worldwide.

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