Microsoft EVP Rajesh Jha Retires After 35 Years, Triggering Major Leadership Reshuffle

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After 35 Years, Rajesh Jha Is Out at Microsoft

Rajesh Jha, Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Experiences + Devices division, is retiring on July 1, 2026. Jha has been at Microsoft for over 35 years and has been one of Satya Nadella’s closest lieutenants, overseeing everything from Office 365 and Teams to Windows and Surface devices.

His departure triggers the largest leadership reshuffle at Microsoft since Nadella became CEO. Four executives will now report directly to Satya Nadella as EVPs, and three more are getting promoted.

The New Power Structure

Jha’s empire is being split up. The new direct reports to Nadella:

  • Perry Clarke — EVP (likely inheriting core productivity/cloud experiences)
  • Charles Lamanna — EVP (likely Copilot and AI platforms)
  • Pavan Davuluri — EVP (likely Surface and Windows devices)
  • Ryan Roslansky — EVP (LinkedIn CEO, now reporting directly to Nadella)

Additionally, three promotions:

  • Jeff Teper — promoted to EVP
  • Sumit Chauhan — promoted to President
  • Kirk Koenigsbauer — promoted to President

What This Actually Means

The interesting signal here is not the retirement itself — Jha staying in an advisory role suggests this was planned, not pushed. What matters is the fragmentation of his division. Instead of replacing one EVP with another, Nadella is splitting the Experiences + Devices org into multiple direct reports.

This is a common pattern when a CEO wants more direct control over critical product areas. With Copilot, AI, and the enterprise transformation being the top priorities, Nadella apparently does not want an intermediary between himself and the people shipping those products.

The full organizational details will be finalized between now and June, with the new structure taking effect at the start of FY27 (July 2026). Microsoft explicitly noted that priorities around SFI (Secure Future Initiative), QEI (Quality Engineering Initiative), and Copilot remain unchanged.

Nadella’s Statement

Satya Nadella’s internal message was unusually personal: “When I think about the pantheon of leaders who have truly shaped this company, Rajesh stands firmly among them.” He praised Jha’s “operational rigor” and “ability to make the hard strategic calls, lead through the grind, and emerge stronger.”

The Bottom Line

This is succession planning done properly — announced months in advance with clear transition timelines. But the decision to split Jha’s org into four EVP-level direct reports tells you everything about Nadella’s priorities: he wants hands-on oversight of Copilot, AI integration, and the productivity suite during what Microsoft clearly sees as the most important product transition since the cloud pivot. Whether four direct reports instead of one creates better products or just more meetings remains to be seen.