Microsoft’s Leadership Overhaul Continues with Departure of Developer Division Head

Microsoft is set to bid farewell to another long-time executive. Julia Liuson, who has been at the helm of Microsoft’s developer division (DevDiv) for 34 years, is stepping down. Over the last 12 years, she has led the charge in Microsoft’s developer initiatives, particularly during a time when the company embraced open source and made a significant acquisition of GitHub for $7.5 billion.

Liuson will remain in her role until the end of June, after which she will transition to an advisory position under Jay Parikh, the head of Microsoft CoreAI, as noted in an internal memo. It’s currently unclear who will take over her responsibilities or if the DevDiv team will report directly to Parikh moving forward.

In her memo, Liuson expressed, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and in January I shared with Satya [Nadella] and Jay [Parikh] that the timing feels right for me to take this step. I am proud of how DevDiv is recognized as one of the most customer-obsessed teams, and we are known for delivering product truth where customers choose to use our product.”

Her exit follows closely on the heels of former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke’s resignation less than a year ago. Microsoft has not filled Dohmke’s position, and GitHub’s leadership now reports directly to the CoreAI team. Liuson was tasked with overseeing GitHub’s revenue, engineering, and support in the wake of Dohmke’s departure.

Liuson’s resignation is part of a broader trend of executive exits at Microsoft in recent months. Former Xbox chief Phil Spencer announced his retirement in February, followed by former Xbox president Sarah Bond. Last month, Rajesh Jha, who led experiences and devices, also revealed his retirement after over 35 years with the company.

Jha’s departure has led to a restructuring of Microsoft’s upper management for products like Windows and Office, enabling leaders in these areas to report directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Additionally, Microsoft appointed a new head for Copilot, shifting AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s focus toward the company’s AI models rather than the consumer-facing features of Copilot.