Rajesh Jha, Microsoft head of experiences and devices unit, to retire after 35 years: Read his complete message to employees

Rajesh Jha, the head of the Experiences + Devices unit, has announced his retirement on Thursday (March 12). Jha has spent more than 30 years at the tech giant and handled the massive division responsible for Windows, Surface hardware, and the Microsoft 365 suite (including Word, Teams, and Excel).

According to a memo shared with employees, Jha will officially step down from his current role on July 1 but will remain with the company in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition.On the announcement, company CEO Satya Nadella said that Rajesh has been a constant throughout his life at Microsoft, and he has admired his commitment to team, to customers and to the company. Nadella and Jha have been preparing for this moment for some time, Jha said.

Alongside his retirement, Jha announced a wave of high-level promotions to lead the unit into its next chapter.

Read Rajesh Jha’s message to Microsoft employees

Dear Team,After 35+ years at Microsoft, I am moving into retirement. I will transition out on July 1st and then stay in an advisory role.Satya and I have been working on succession for some time. I am incredibly confident and excited about the future with Perry Clarke, Charles Lamanna, Pavan Davuluri, and Ryan Roslansky as EVP direct reports to Satya.I am also excited to announce the promotions of Jeff Teper to EVP, and Sumit Chauhan and Kirk Koenigsbauer to President.Please join me in congratulating these leaders on this well-deserved recognition.We’re announcing these top-level changes today, and between now and June, my leadership team and I will work together to finalize the full cascade of details needed in this kind of transition. This includes aligning operating rhythms, decision ownership, and details on the future org structure, all so we’ll be fully aligned and ready to run at the start of FY27. Our intent in taking this approach is to minimize changes and not lose the great momentum we have.Our priorities around SFI, QEI, and Copilot remain unchanged – let’s keep the intensity here.I want to add that working with you all over the years, in the service of customers, has been an incredible privilege for me. I am deeply grateful.Best regards,Rajesh

What CEO Satya Nadella said about Rajesh Jha’s retirement

Rajesh has been a constant throughout my entire life at Microsoft. From our earliest days working together, I have admired his unwavering commitment to his team, to our customers, to the products we build, and to the company. I have always been struck by his operational rigor, his ability to make the hard strategic calls, lead through the grind, and emerge stronger on the other side. That, to me, is what true leadership looks like.When I think about the pantheon of leaders who have truly shaped this company, Rajesh stands firmly among them. He embodies the commitment that helped build and transform Microsoft into the company it is today, and it is on the strength of that foundation that we will continue to move forward. And as we look to the future, the opportunity ahead is expansive. We have the depth of talent, the product ethos, and a clear sense of purpose as a company to ensure our technology advancements accrue to our mission of empowerment.Rajesh – I am deeply grateful for all you have done for Microsoft and our customers and for all you have taught me personally. On behalf of all of us – Thank You.Satya

Leadership shakeup at Microsoft

Jha is the second major Microsoft titan to step down in recent weeks. Last month, the company announced the retirement of Phil Spencer, the long-time head of the Gaming division and Xbox. Asha Sharma took the helm and now serves as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming.