Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)’s Xbox Product Chief Marc Whitten Quits

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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is undergoing a massive management shake-up since the appointment of Satya Nadella as its new CEO. Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten is quitting the job to join multiroom speaker systems maker Sonos Inc. He will have the same title at Sonos, report Cliff Edwards and Dina Bass of Bloomberg.

Microsoft looking for a great replacement for Whitten

Sonos Inc. spokesman Eric Nielsen said Marc Whitten will assume the newly-created position in early April. Whitten and his software team at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was moved from the hardware and game studios unit to the division responsible for operating systems for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox. Whitten was directly reporting to Terry Myerson, the executive vice president of the operating systems division.

Whitten joined Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in 1997 and joined the Xbox team in 2000. He has held several positions at the software giant and has worked on the development of all three generations of the Xbox console. Whitten also built the Xbox Live service, which has about 50 million members worldwide. In a statement, Terry Myerson said that Whitten’s exit won’t affect the Xbox team. Myerson is looking for a “great replacement” for Whitten.

Microsoft’s management shakeup

The departure of Marc Whitten comes at a crucial time. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) recently launched Titanfall, the Xbox gaming title, to boost sales of its consoles. Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758)’s PlayStation 4 is selling much better than the Xbox One, according to research firm NPD Group. More than 6 million units of the PlayStation 4 have been sold since its release in November 2013.

Recently Skype founder and EVP for business development Tony Bates and marketing head Tami Reller also parted ways with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Last month, hardware development chief Julie Larson-Green switched roles to clear the way for Stephen Elop, which will lead the Redmond-based company’s hardware development business after the acquisition of Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V)’s handset division is complete.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares rose 0.93% on Monday to close at $38.05.

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