Stephen Elop finds himself surplus to requirements at Microsoft after reshuffle

Stephen Elop, the former CEO of Nokia who headed Microsoft’s devices unit after its acquisition of the Finnish vendor, is leaving the US company as part of a management reshuffle.

A new team headed by Terry Myerson called the Windows and Devices Group (WDG) will combine the existing Operating Systems Group and Microsoft Devices Group (MDG), led by Elop.

The change leaves Elop, a one-time candidate for the top job at Microsoft, surplus to requirement. Though do not feel too badly for him. He reportedly received a US$25 million payment for overseeing the sale of Nokia Devices to Microsoft.

The thinking behind the reshuffle, which in turn elevates Myerson to a powerful position within the company, is to spread Windows as a service across all device types. The new unit will build all Microsoft devices including Surface, HoloLens, Lumia, Surface Hub, Band and Xbox.

Three other senior Microsoft executives are also leaving – Kirill Tatarinov, Eric Rudder and Mark Penn – as part of the same reshuffle. All will leave following an unspecified transition period.

As part of the same changes, Peggy Johnson, executive vice president, business development, will now lead Micrsoft’s partnerships with mobile operators around the world.