Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, announced in May 2026 that he will leave the company next year after a 35-year career. Mehdi shared the news in an internal memo on Thursday, stating he will remain in his current role — overseeing marketing for Windows, Copilot for consumers, and the Microsoft 365 consumer business — until 2027.
Mehdi is working with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and chief marketing officer Takeshi Numoto on a transition plan, according to GeekWire. No successor has been named.
In his memo, Mehdi cited a desire to ensure continuity for his team: “As I thought about this decision, one thing was crystal clear: I want to ensure I have the time and space to set the team — and our mission — up for continued success. We are in the middle of an incredibly important moment for Microsoft and for our customers.”
Mehdi originally joined Microsoft as an intern in the 1990s and contributed to the launches of Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Internet Explorer early in his career. He later spent more than a decade running Microsoft’s search and online businesses, including helping launch Bing. More recently, he played a role in launching the Xbox One, Windows 10, and Copilot Plus PCs, and has served as a prominent public face for Microsoft’s consumer efforts.
His departure is part of a broader wave of veteran executive exits at Microsoft. Rajesh Jha, former executive vice president of Microsoft’s experiences and devices group, announced his own retirement in March 2026 after more than 35 years at the company. Jha’s exit has already prompted a flattening of Microsoft’s upper management structure across Windows, Office, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and related products.
The back-to-back departures of two long-tenured executives may signal further organizational changes at Microsoft as the company navigates a significant push into AI.
Source: The Verge