Pavan Davuluri, an alumnus of IIT Madras, has been appointed as the new head of Microsoft's Windows and Surface division. His appointment comes after Panos Panay, the former head, left last year to join Amazon. Microsoft has divided the Windows and Surface groups, each with its own leadership. Davuluri previously supervised Surface silicone work, while Mikhail Parakhin led the Windows department. However, with Parakhin seeking new opportunities, Davuluri now oversees both Windows and Surface.
Davuluri's background has ties to India, having graduated from the esteemed IIT Madras. With his recent appointment, he enters the league of Indian leaders in prominent positions within tech firms in the US, joining the likes of Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, among others.
In an internal letter by Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s head of experience and devices, which was obtained by The Verge, Parakhin’s departure was announced and Davuluri’s new role was announced. Davuluri will now report to Jha. “As part of this change, we are bringing together the Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices teams as a core part of the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division. This will enable us to take a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for this AI era. Pavan Davuluri will lead this team and continue to report to me. Shilpa Ranganathan and Jeff Johnson and their teams will report directly to Pavan. The Windows team will continue to work closely with the Microsoft AI team on AI, silicon, and experiences”, he wrote.
Davuluri has been part of the Microsoft family for more than 23 years. Following his completion of an MS degree at the University of Maryland, he commenced his journey with Microsoft as the Reliability Component Manager. In a memo, Rajesh Jha notified the team about structural adjustments within the Windows and Web Experiences (WWE) team, prompted by the formation of the Microsoft AI organization. Mikhail Parakhin will be exploring new opportunities under the guidance of Kevin Scott, shifting away from WWE responsibilities.
The integration of Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices into the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division is geared towards the comprehensive advancement of systems, experiences, and devices tailored for the AI era under the leadership of Pavan Davuluri. Shilpa Ranganathan and Jeff Johnson will directly report to Davuluri.
The Windows team will forge a tight collaboration with Microsoft AI, focusing on AI, silicon, and enhancing user experiences. The Web Experiences team will now be under Mustafa's purview within the Microsoft AI organization. Various leaders, such as Jordi Ribas, Rukmini Iyer, and Mike Davidson, along with their teams, have been mentioned in terms of reporting structures. Rajesh expresses enthusiasm for the integration of AI products like Copilot into E+D offerings, aligning with the objectives of Microsoft AI.