Microsoft’s top executive Yusuf Mehdi is leaving after 35 years; says in memo: I have decided the time is…

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s consumer chief marketing officer and one of its longest-serving executives, is leaving the company after 35 years. He announced the decision in an internal memo to staff on Thursday, first reported by Business Insider. Mehdi isn’t walking out the door immediately. He plans to work through the next fiscal year—which at Microsoft ends in June 2027—before stepping away. Until then, his brief is clear: reimagining Windows for what Microsoft is calling the “agentic era,” growing Microsoft 365 services, and pushing forward the company’s One Copilot vision. In other words, this is a long, structured handover rather than a quick exit.

“After 35 extraordinary years at Microsoft—years filled with adventure, challenge, reinvention, and innovation—I’ve decided the time is right to begin planning for my next adventure,” Mehdi wrote in the memo obtained by Business Insider.