There’s been a major shake up in the house that Gates built. Xbox head Don Mattrick’s departure for Zynga has left Microsoft’s gaming wing without supervision at a critical time – the launching of a new console. Rumors have flown about Mattrick’s replacement, some folks even claiming it might be Steve Ballmer himself. Today, it looks like a contender is rising to the forefront in Windows Division chief, Julie Larson-Green.
Bloomberg news reported that Larson-Green could become the head of a new hardware division that would replace the old Entertainment and Devices division and include Xbox under its umbrella.
Under this scenario, Larson-Green would oversee hardware engineering for all devices, including Xbox gaming consoles and Surface tablets, one person said. Windows Phone software chief Terry Myerson would be given added responsibility for Windows operating system engineering under a group combining both businesses, the person said.
Ballmer may also give Windows chief Julie Larson-Green oversight of hardware engineering for the whole company, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the plans are private. Ballmer is expected to reveal a reorganization as early as next week that aligns Microsoft’s business units around devices and services, the people said.
Speculation is flying but one thing’s for sure. Microsoft needs to get its house in order, and quickly. After its DRM policy kerfuffle, a less than stellar E3 showing, and Mattrick’s own public gaffs, the company certainly isn’t going into these latest console wars with the upperhand.
Will Julie Larson-Green be the one to turn it around?
[Via: Bloomberg]