Christopher Young, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft Corp., speaks at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Washington, United States, Tuesday, October 5, 2021. The GeekWire Summit brings together leaders from business, technology and community for discussions about the future.
David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images
MicrosoftChris Young’s head of business development, who helped orchestrate the software giant’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is resigning from his position after about four years on the job, the company announced in a statement. regulatory filing Wednesday. No successor has been named.
Young joined Microsoft in 2020 after nearly three years as CEO of McAfee, where he led efforts to separate the company from Intel. Previously, he held leadership positions at Cisco and RSA.
At Microsoft, Young was part of the company’s leadership team alongside the CEO Satya Nadella and Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood. He reported to Nadella. As one of the highest-paid Microsoft employees, Young received $12 million in total compensation in fiscal 2024, according to a report. deposit.
Young’s organization included corporate venture capital unit M12, which invested in startups like Innovaccer, Outreach, PsiQuantum, Skedulo and Typeface. In 2023, M12 said that in the future it would work more closely with Microsoft to better help portfolio companies.
Microsoft’s acquisition of video game publisher Activision for $68.7 billion, its largest deal ever, closed in 2023. Young also played a role in Microsoft’s expansion of its partnership with the artificial intelligence startup OpenAI and its advertising agreement with Netflix.
“As I spend the next few weeks supporting a smooth transition, I am grateful for this chapter and inspired by the possibilities the AI era presents for transformation and growth,” Young wrote in a press release. LinkedIn Post. “My entrepreneurial roots are calling and I’m excited about what lies ahead.” He did not provide details.
Young, one of Microsoft’s most prominent Black executives, “has demonstrated thought leadership on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the technology sector,” the company said in a statement. Deposit 2023.
Although Microsoft has not made any recent comments on its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, there has been a broader industry pushback since the president that of Donald Trump re-election in November. Amazon said it stops some of its DEI programs, and The meta are being canceled.
In December, Microsoft’s chief diversity officer said the company’s work in the region was “more important than ever”.
