IIT Madras Graduate Pavan Davuluri Appointed Head of Microsoft Windows: A Milestone in Tech Leadership

Pavan Davuluri, an alumnus of IIT Madras, has been named the new head of Microsoft Windows and Surface, adding to the growing list of Indians in prominent roles within Big Tech firms, following the likes of Sundar Pichai at Google and Satya Nadella at Microsoft. 

Davuluri succeeds Panos Panay, who departed to join Amazon last year, and previously oversaw the Surface group, while Mikhail Parakhin led the Windows department. With the exits of Parakhin and Panay, Davuluri now assumes leadership of both Windows and Surface divisions.

An internal memo from Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s head of experiences and devices, obtained by The Verge, detailed the restructuring, aiming for a “holistic approach” to device and experience development in the “AI era.” 

Davuluri’s appointment signifies Microsoft’s trust in his capabilities to navigate and innovate within the Windows and Surface ecosystems, shaping the future of technology experiences for users worldwide.

Integration of Windows Experiences and Devices Teams for Holistic Development

In a significant organizational shift, Microsoft is consolidating the Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices teams, integrating them into the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division. 

This strategic move aims to facilitate a comprehensive approach to developing silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that transcend the Windows client and cloud platforms, particularly in the context of the AI era. Pavan Davuluri has been entrusted with the leadership of this unified team, with a continued reporting line to me. 

Shilpa Ranganathan and Jeff Johnson, along with their respective teams, will now directly report to Davuluri. This restructuring underscores Microsoft’s commitment to synergy and innovation, as the Windows team collaborates closely with the Microsoft AI team on advancing AI, silicon, and user experiences.

Pavan Davuluri’s Extensive Experience at Microsoft

With an impressive tenure spanning over 23 years at Microsoft, Pavan Davuluri has played a pivotal role in numerous significant projects. Notably, he was deeply involved in collaborative efforts with industry giants Qualcomm and AMD to develop processors tailored for Microsoft’s Surface devices. His wealth of experience and expertise has contributed significantly to Microsoft’s technological advancements and product innovations over the years.

In a memo addressing the strategic realignment within Microsoft, there is palpable excitement for Davuluri’s team to contribute to the realization of Microsoft AI’s ambitious goals in creating world-class consumer AI products. 

The memo expresses eagerness to collaborate closely with Mustafa and the broader team to integrate AI capabilities, including groundbreaking projects like Copilot, across the spectrum of E+D products and services. This underscores Davuluri’s continued leadership in driving innovation and integration within Microsoft’s ecosystem, further solidifying the company’s position at the forefront of technological advancement.

Pavan Davuluri’s Extensive Experience at Microsoft

With an impressive tenure spanning over 23 years at Microsoft, Pavan Davuluri has played a pivotal role in numerous significant projects. Notably, he was deeply involved in collaborative efforts with industry giants Qualcomm and AMD to develop processors tailored for Microsoft’s Surface devices. 

His wealth of experience and expertise has contributed significantly to Microsoft’s technological advancements and product innovations over the years.

In a memo addressing the strategic realignment within Microsoft, there is palpable excitement for Davuluri’s team to contribute to the realization of Microsoft AI’s ambitious goals in creating world-class consumer AI products. 

The memo expresses eagerness to collaborate closely with Mustafa and the broader team to integrate AI capabilities, including groundbreaking projects like Copilot, across the spectrum of E+D products and services. This underscores Davuluri’s continued leadership in driving innovation and integration within Microsoft’s ecosystem, further solidifying the company’s position at the forefront of technological advancement.

Microsoft’s Organizational Restructure Coincides with Key Leadership Addition

The recent reorganization within Microsoft comes hot on the heels of a significant personnel addition: Mustafa Suleyman, the co-founder of Google DeepMind and former CEO of Inflection AI, has joined Microsoft as the CEO of its newly formed AI team. 

Suleyman’s appointment underscores Microsoft’s commitment to advancing its capabilities in artificial intelligence and machine learning.