Turmoil envisioned

AT the beginning of the year we provided several examples to demonstrate the crumbling of Microsoft at its highest of ranks. None of this has stopped since then and it appears to be continuing with this departure of a CTO.

Microsoft Exec Jumps Ship

The latest, and biggest, name to go is CTO Michel Burger, the charismatic Frenchman who spearheaded Microsoft's efforts to get carriers to build their service creation strategies around the Connected Services Framework (CSF) and promoted the concept of service mashups.

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Burger isn't the first to go. Earlier this year, Michael O'Hara quit his job as general manager for marketing and industry management of Microsoft's Communications Sector to join the GSM Association as chief marketing officer.

As always, we are somewhat concerned that Mr. Burger could end up inside a company where he could serve Microsoft from a distance. In this case, he'll be landing in Vodafone, which already accommodates another Microsoft chief. We wrote about this before, e.g. under [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

In other news, another vacancy was Microsoft's China CEO, which means that the previous one had left. This empty position is finally being filled now. Still, it leaves a clue as to what happened earlier on.

On the other hand, Ya-Qin Zhang, who served as Microsoft Greater China Region CEO after the previous chief stepped down one year ago, will continue taking charge of the China Research and Development Group for Microsoft as corporate vice president.

This is also covered here, but a subscription is required.

There's more to it all. Microsoft Russia as well seems to have lost its head of operations (vacant seat), which is being replaced.

Pryanishnikov will replace Birger Steen, who has worked as General Director of the Microsoft RUS LLC since August 2004.

Why are all these people leaving? What is it that they see?

Several days ago we wrote about Microsoft and debt and it's being repeated by Reuters now.

[T]he software giant said in September that its board had authorized it to tap the debt market from time to time for up $6 billion in funds. As part of that approval, the company has established the $2 billion commercial paper program.

Microsoft is also warning about tough times ahead:

1. Microsoft's Ballmer warns that growth in work force will be 'much slower'

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Wednesday that the company would have "much, much slower growth" in the size of its work force this fiscal year and probably the year after.

2. Microsoft CEO Ballmer: Economy will affect Microsoft

"None of this means the current economic environment won't have any impact on our business or our industry; it certainly will," Ballmer said, referring to Microsoft's strong financial position. He was speaking at the company's annual stockholder meeting in Bellevue, Wash.

Microsoft's Mundie goes out of his way at this very moment, seemingly pulling the press in order to deny layoffs, but evidence on the ground seem to suggest otherwise. ⬆

Hard times, rooms emptied