Rajesh Jha to Retire as EVP of Microsoft Experiences + Devices on July 1st: What Exciting Changes Are Coming for Windows, Surface, and Copilot Now?

Microsoft is making significant leadership changes at the top of its Experiences + Devices (E+D) organization, the group responsible for everything from Windows and Surface to Microsoft 365 and Copilot. In an internal memo shared with employees, After the latest news of Phil Spencer retiring from Xbox, Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha announced that he will retire after more than 35 years at the company, transitioning out of his current role on July 1, 2026 and then staying on in an advisory capacity.

The changes were detailed in a new post on the official Microsoft Corporate Blog, which includes full messages from both Jha and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. In that post, Jha describes the move as part of “organizing for the future,” and emphasizes that succession planning with Nadella has been underway for some time, ensuring continuity across Microsoft’s key product lines.

Rajesh Jha to Retire as EVP of Microsoft Experiences + Devices

At the center of the transition is a new slate of leadership reporting directly to Nadella. Jha says he is “incredibly confident and excited” about Perry Clarke, Charles Lamanna, Pavan Davuluri, and Ryan Roslansky stepping in as Executive Vice President–level direct reports to the CEO. These leaders are already familiar names across Microsoft’s cloud, business applications, Windows, and LinkedIn businesses, and their elevation signals a continued push to align Microsoft’s productivity, device, and AI portfolios under a tighter, AI-first strategy. Check out Rajesh’s full message to Microsoft below.

Microsoft is also using this moment to recognize several long-time leaders who have been closely associated with productivity, collaboration, and the modern work stack. Jha announced that Jeff Teper is being promoted to Executive Vice President, while Sumit Chauhan and Kirk Koenigsbauer are being promoted to President roles. Teper has long been known as the “father of SharePoint” and a key driver of Microsoft 365 collaboration, while Chauhan and Koenigsbauer have held critical leadership positions across Office, Teams, and broader productivity experiences.

For customers and partners, Microsoft is signaling that this is an evolution rather than a reset. Jha stresses that the company’s priorities around “SFI, QEI, and Copilot remain unchanged” and explicitly calls on teams to “keep the intensity here.” In other words, the AI momentum that has reshaped Windows, Microsoft 365, and Surface over the past few years is expected to continue into FY27 and beyond, with the new leadership team tasked with executing on that roadmap.

Operationally, Microsoft is giving itself a long runway to absorb these changes. Rajesh Jha notes that between now and June, his leadership team will work to “finalize the full cascade of details” for the new org structure, including aligning operating rhythms, decision ownership, and future org design so the company is “fully aligned and ready to run at the start of FY27.” He also makes it clear that the intent is to “minimize changes and not lose the great momentum we have,” suggesting the existing product strategies for Windows, Surface devices, and Microsoft 365 will stay on track even as reporting lines shift.

Nadella’s accompanying message reads as both tribute and clear endorsement of the succession plan. He describes Rajesh Jha as “a constant throughout my entire life at Microsoft,” praising his operational rigor, willingness to make hard strategic calls, and ability to lead teams through difficult transitions and “emerge stronger on the other side.” Nadella places Jha among the “pantheon of leaders who have truly shaped this company,” underscoring how central the E+D organization has been to Microsoft’s transformation into a cloud- and AI-first company.

Looking to What’s Next

Looking ahead, Nadella points to an “expansive” opportunity for Microsoft as it continues to push AI deeper into every layer of its stack. He highlights the company’s depth of talent, product ethos, and sense of purpose as key ingredients for making sure Microsoft’s AI advancements stay grounded in its mission to empower people and organizations worldwide. That framing aligns closely with how Microsoft has positioned Copilot across Windows, Microsoft 365, GitHub, and more—AI that is embedded directly into the flow of work rather than treated as a separate product.

For users of Windows and Surface, as well as admins and information workers living in Microsoft 365, the message is clear: leadership is changing, but the strategy is not. Even with Rajesh Jha retiring, the same teams that have been driving Copilot integration and modern work experiences will now be operating under a refreshed leadership lineup with more direct lines to Nadella. With the transition timed to complete before the start of Microsoft’s FY27, expect the next fiscal year to showcase how Perry Clarke, Charles Lamanna, Pavan Davuluri, Ryan Roslansky, Jeff Teper, Sumit Chauhan, and Kirk Koenigsbauer put their stamp on the future of Microsoft’s core experiences.