Christopher Young, Executive Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft, speaks at the GeekWire Summit on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 in Seattle, Washington, USA. The GeekWire Summit brings together business, technology, and community leaders to explore the future.
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microsoftChris Young, the business development executive who helped orchestrate the software giant’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, will step down after nearly four years on the job, the company announced in a regulatory filing Wednesday. No successor was named.
Mr. Young joined Microsoft in 2020 after serving as CEO of McAfee for nearly three years, leading efforts to separate the company from McAfee. intel. Previously, he held executive positions at Cisco and RSA.
At Microsoft, Young was part of the company’s senior leadership team, along with CEO Satya Nadella and finance chief Amy Hood. He reported to Nadella. As one of Microsoft’s highest-paid employees, Young received total compensation of $12 million in fiscal year 2024, according to the filing.
Mr. Young’s organization included the M12 corporate venture capital unit, which has invested in startups such as Innovaccer, Outreach, PsiQuantum, Skedulo, and Typeface. In 2023, M12 said it would work more closely with Microsoft to better support its portfolio companies in the future.
Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of video game publisher Activision, the largest deal ever, was completed in 2023. Young also played a role in expanding Microsoft’s partnership and advertising deal with artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. Netflix.
“As I spend the coming weeks supporting a smooth transition, I am grateful for this chapter and inspired by the potential for transformation and growth that the AI era brings,” Young wrote in a post on LinkedIn. Ta. “My entrepreneurial roots are calling me, and I’m excited about what’s next,” he said, without providing further details.
Young, one of Microsoft’s most prominent Black executives, “has provided thought leadership on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the technology industry,” the company said in a 2023 filing.
Microsoft hasn’t made any comments recently about its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which have seen widespread setbacks in the industry since President Donald Trump’s reelection in November. Amazon stated that it would suspend some DEI programs; meta It has been cancelled.
Microsoft’s chief diversity officer said in December that the company’s work in this area is “more important than ever.”
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