His base salary, however, remained the same at $2.5 million. Although that amount may have remained unchanged, his stock awards went up to $42.269 million this year, up from $33 million in 2021.

The software titan, obviously, revealed its performance for this past quarter a few days back.

But these figures actually come from its Proxy Statement 2022, which breaks down a long list of figures, including how much money the company’s CEO took home. That, and other revealing numbers, make for an interesting read.

This is what Microsoft said in its SEC filing:

“During fiscal year 2022, we addressed the need to provide ongoing incentives to Mr. Nadella following the February 2021 final vest of long-term performance stock award granted at Mr. Nadella’s 2014 promotion to CEO.

Mr. Nadella’s criticality to Microsoft’s ongoing success was a regular focus of feedback we received from shareholders, which is consistent with our independent Board members’ high confidence in Mr. Nadella’s exceptional leadership of Microsoft.”

The filing outlines its pay-for-performance figures.

A close inspection reveals that 96% of the $55 million package was based on performance versus 71% in 2021. Nadella did see his non-equity incentive plan compensation fall to $10.6 million, compared to $14.2 million from the year before.

These align with Microsoft’s revenue increase for the fiscal year that ended 2022, where the total amount topped at $198.3 billion.

Compare this with the median pay for Microsoft staffers for the fiscal year, which was $190,302, and it goes to show that shareholders have high confidence in Satya Nadella’s leadership and want to ensure his retention.

Belfiore has been with the Redmond-based technology giant for some 32 years. During his time at the company, he led several efforts, ranging from Windows 10 (its apps and even features like Sets) to Office, OneNote, and Edge.

But he is most vividly remembered for his time overseeing Windows Phone — managing the fledgling mobile OS and coordinating the whole ecosystem with the Nokia and Lumia brands.

His ride with Windows Phone was not always smooth. An infamous episode in 2011 had him taking to Channel 9 to laugh off issues with belated updates for the phone operating platform. He took a lot of heat for this, so much so that he had to publicly apologize.

Well, Belfiore has decided to leave the firm where he has spent over thirty years.

He announced today that he will retire next summer to focus on his kids:

Today I shared with my team that after 32 fantastic years (!) I'll be retiring from @Microsoft!

What's next? 1) I'm staying on until summer to help with the transition (SO MUCH GOODNESS COMING), then 2) focus on the two kids still at home & the 1 who just started college.

— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) October 27, 2022

Now, in the corporate world, the phrase of spending more time with the family is often code for a forced departure. But that is not the case here.

Belfiore took a leave of absence for one year in 2015 to spend time with his family and then returned to work at Microsoft until 2020 when he took another substantive break to travel with his family. But now, though, he is done for good.

That is exactly what he announced internally in an email to employees before sharing his decision publicly. ZDNet confirms that his move is a personal decision.

Most of you will know Belfiore for his time in charge of the Windows Phone division, which he led from 2009 to 2013. He then went on to lead the Windows 10 team for almost five years. In 2018, he took a leading role in the Essentials Services Group at Microsoft.

This was a division that included Windows 10, Edge, Surface software, and several mobile applications.

The Microsoft Corporate Vice President currently heads the Office Group alongside CVP Ales Holecek, and the executive will serve as a senior advisor and coach to aid the transition until summer 2023.

Still, the man had a tough job and was a beloved Windows Phone frontman.

Ross, Corporate Vice President of Xbox Game Studios, led 343 Industries, the home of Halo, which she founded in 2007 to continue the gaming franchise following Bungie’s split.

She had been with Microsoft since 1994, a key part of the company’s gaming push for three decades. Ross famously took the reins at 343 Industries after pitching her version for Halo at a time when the company’s corporate climate was that the franchise was in decline.

The Xbox veteran also worked on franchises like Gears of War and Alan Wake and even oversaw third-party publishing deals for Jade Empire and Mass Effect.

The move is immediate, with Ross leaving to attend a family medical issue. She hoped to stay with the company to complete the upcoming Winter Update launch, but the health emergency brought forward her plans.

Here announcement:

pic.twitter.com/dy2HAbyPaV

— Bonnie Ross (@PlutonForEver) September 12, 2022

Over the years, Ross and her team collaborated to ship several acclaimed Halo games, including Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo Wars 2, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and the ambitious Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

The universe has since expanded to include the Halo TV series.

Halo, the flagship Xbox game series, is a sci-fi franchise set in the distant future that has humanity battling for survival against various alien factions.

Microsoft has announced that her role at 343 Industries will be split into three parts, with production lead Pierre Hintz taking over the Halo development, both current and future, Bryan Koskie to take charge as GM of Franchise, and Elizabeth Van Wyck at hand to oversee business and operations.

This departure comes at a time when Halo is again experiencing uncertain times, with people calling for changes at 343 Industries.

Halo Infinite launched to a less-than-stellar reception, with its live service leaving fans clamoring for faster content delivery. The Winter Update, set to arrive in November, will be the largest content package to date for the game and includes a powerful map-building tool dubbed Forge and a cooperative campaign.

However, plans for split-screen local play have been axed.

Despite changing trends in the PC market.

The total sales are still over the pre-pandemic level, which is an astonishing testament to the fact that the world has embraced PCs and other such devices once again. There was a time, not too long ago when smartphones and tablets ruled the roost.

Of course, Microsoft is one of the companies that is benefiting from this solid demand for computers.

CEO Satya Nadella praised this during the company’s latest earnings call. The software titan reported some $51.9 billion in revenue during FY22 Q4.

His words:

“Despite a changing market for PCs during the quarter, we continue to see more PCs shipped than pre-pandemic, and are taking share. And we are seeing higher monthly usage of Windows 11 applications, with increased time spent across creative work, collaboration, gaming, media, and writing code, as people rely on the PC for its unique productivity capabilities, rich interactive experiences, and to stay connected.”

At the same time, Nadella also praised the adoption of Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, especially when comparing their results with where they stood the same quarter a year before.

Nadella said:

“We’re transforming how Windows is experienced and managed with Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. Azure Virtual Desktop monthly active usage increased nearly 60 percent year-over-year. One year in, we’ve seen strong adoption of Windows 365 from organizations in every industry – from Hamburg Commercial Bank and Kyndryl, to the LEGO Group and Schroders – as they use Cloud PCs to rapidly onboard new and temporary employees, and speed M&A integration, while reducing IT costs.”

The Microsoft CEO finished it off by praising Edge and the momentum this fairly new web browser has been picking up lately. Not just on Windows, but also on other platforms where it is available, like macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Daily content consumption across Start in categories like weather, finance, and sports has increased by 80% since the services were launched one year ago. The same goes for Edge, as it continues to gain share with consumers who use its built-in coupon and price comparison features to save money.

Pretty solid showing, all said and done!

He started working at Redmond all the way back in 2001, eventually going on to lead the teams behind technologies like Xbox Kinect and HoloLens.

However, his days were counted after a recent report accused him of misconduct at the workplace. No less than 25 employees recounted their experiences working with Kipman and talked about his personality and the toxic culture propagated as a result.

This Business Insider report goes over the ugly details of the executive watching a pornographic VR video in front of everyone at the office and making employees uncomfortable by touching them. As a matter of fact, workers were instructed not to leave female employees alone around Kipman.

Following these allegations of misconduct, Alex Kipman has resigned from the company.

In an email procured by GeekWire, Scott Guthrie, the head of Microsoft’s Cloud & AI Group, informed employees that:

“Over the last several months, Alex Kipman and I have been talking about the team’s path going forward. We have mutually decided that this is the right time for him to leave the company to pursue other opportunities. I appreciate the tremendous vision Alex has provided to Microsoft over the years, and all that he has done to advance our Metaverse offerings. Alex is committed to helping the teams with the transition process over the next two months and ensuring success before pursuing what is next for him.”

Interestingly, no reference to the misconduct allegations.

But there is no other explanation for Kipman’s sudden exit. It’s clear that Microsoft is not comfortable having him around. He will stay around for another two months to help with the transition.

We also have confirmation that his entire mixed reality division will now be reorganized. The hardware team now reporting to the Windows + Devices organization led by Panos Panay, while the Mixed Reality Presence and Collaboration teams are to join the Experiences + Devices division led by Jeff Teper.

No telling, though, on what kind of an impact this major restructuring has on the HoloLens project.

He does mention that he is using a foldable device, though.

That is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, which is one of the finest such handsets available.

Gates admitted to using Android, not an iPhone, which brings him a step closer to the Duo line, which is also powered by the universally popular open-source mobile OS. Microsoft settled on it after it bid goodbye to the Windows Phone platform a few years back.

However, his device of choice is not the second-generation Surface Duo but the third-generation Fold lineup from the Korean maker, which also has a foldable form factor.

This he revealed in an AMA session on Reddit:

“I have an Android Galaxy ZFold3. I try different ones. With this screen I can get by with a great portable PC and the phone and nothing else.”

Best of both worlds, eh Bill?

The fact that he says that he tries different ones is perhaps a hint that he is well aware of what the Surface Duo can do. Only he is now experimenting with similar devices from other companies deep in this game.

Gates has always been open and rather enthusiastic about which device he has for personal use. Back when it became clear that Windows Phone was nearing a dead end, he openly admitted that he was using an Android phone with a lot of Microsoft software.

He is also on record saying that he does not have much love for the iPhone.

But now, with the Redmond company sort of trying to reenter the phone space with the premium Surface Duo lineup, the ex-Microsoft CEO does not seem convinced enough to try the Duo 2 as his daily driver.

Nevertheless, the software titan keeps on pulling its weight behind the latest member of the Duo family, having recently launched a firmware update for the device.

Perhaps a few more updates like these might finally convince good old Bill Gates!

And while there have been differing opinions regarding the usability of the latest version of Windows, few will deny that most thing the development teams have tried have been dipped in quality sauce — that is to say that the new features and additions in the OS come with necessary attention to detail.

Quality be the mantra for Microsoft.

And that is exactly what Panos Panay reiterated today at Computex 2022 in a discussion with Nicole Dezen, the CVP of Device Partners Sales at the company.

Echoing the statement that the quality of the operating system was the highest priority for the Windows 11 development team, Panay said:

“And it (Windows 11) has the highest quality scores. Here’s the most important thing for our team, quality, quality, quality. People using it are finding the quality in the product, which has just been awesome. That also translates to product satisfaction. It is the highest product satisfaction of any version of Windows we’ve ever shipped. You kind of see that.”

You can watch it below:

Of course, this is not Panos Panay’s first hint at something like this.

In a January blog post penned by the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Microsoft, he claimed that Windows 11 had the highest quality scores and product satisfaction of any version of Windows that the company had ever shipped.

In fact, product quality was a huge focus for the team.

Back to the Computex keynote, Panos also talked about other things like the various features baked into Windows 11 and the hybrid work culture that has become prevalent since the COVID pandemic.

This move comes as the company gets set to push Windows 11 this holiday season.

It also means that Windows will finally have a seat at the senior leadership table over at Redmond, which has not been the case since, oh, when the former Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, Terry Myerson, departed the company.

Back in 2018, that is.

This welcome little bit of news comes from Bloomberg, who was provided an internal email announcing the change that saw a shuffle in two key positioned over at the software titan.

Microsoft has also hired Charlie Bell, who will be joining the company as a Corporate Vice President. An Amazon Web Services veteran, it is unclear at the moment what role he will assume at the company. The corporate directory temporarily lists him under HR head Kathleen Hogan, for now.

But the big news is Panos is taking charge of this important position.

He will be advising CEO and board director Satya Nadella on strategic decisions and will be joining Xbox chief Phil Spencer, cloud and AI extraordinaire Scott Guthrie, and more as part of the senior leadership crew.

This, then, becomes the second promotion for the eminent executive. In February 2020, Panay was entrusted to lead both the Windows and hardware division at Microsoft.

Outside of Microsoft, he is also a member of the Sonos board of directors.