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New Xbox chief is Julie Larson-Green after Microsoft reorganization

on July 11, 2013, 11 a.m.

The new head of Xbox is 20-year Microsoft employee Julie Larson-Green. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today announced a large-scale reorganization for the software giant in a letter to employees, including a new Devices and Studios Engineering Group responsible for Xbox.

Larson-Green will be accountable for all hardware development and supply chain operations for Xbox and other Microsoft devices like Surface Tablets. She was formerly engineering head for the Windows operating system.

Don Mattrick was formerly in charge of Xbox as president of its Interactive Entertainment Business, a role he vacated last week. Wired published a brief profile on Larson-Green, if you're interested in learning more about the new Xbox boss.

Ballmer said Microsoft means to improve company-wide collaboration with the new divisions and positions.

"We will see our product line holistically, not as a set of islands," Ballmer wrote. "We will allocate resources and build devices and services that provide compelling, integrated experiences across the many screens in our lives, with maximum return to shareholders. All parts of the company will share and contribute to the success of core offerings, like Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, Surface, Office 365 and our EA offer, Bing, Skype, Dynamics, Azure and our servers. All parts of the company will contribute to activating high-value experiences for our customers."

Hear that, everyone? High-value experiences!

Topics

Don Mattrick Julie Larson-Green Microsoft Steve Ballmer

30 comments

  • wiitard07 - July 13, 2013 6:26 p.m.

    So people commenting here think Sony is a non profit hippie commune then? No company really "cares" about you. All of the big three are looking to make money. Not just Microsoft because you don't like them.

  • mafyooz - July 12, 2013 12:39 a.m.

    Is it just me or is that statement by Ballmer just a load of meaningless, corporate buzzwords and bilge? The only part of it that people should pay attention to is the where he mentions "with maximum return to shareholders". Finally some honesty from Microsoft, they aren't concerned about you as a customer, and certainly not as a gamer, they just want to make money for themselves and the people who hold shares. All major companies are ultimately the same, Microsoft just seem to be more blatant about it!!

  • shawksta - July 11, 2013 3:07 p.m.

    Better than Balmer

  • Temperance11 - July 11, 2013 1:38 p.m.

    So not Ballmer...good.

  • Rub3z - July 11, 2013 1:08 p.m.

    A chick? Good times. Not expecting any sexist fanboy-rage blowback from this, no siree... Joking aside, it's nice we live in an age where the face of relations for a brand-name console with the gaming public can be a woman.

  • thomas1980 - July 12, 2013 1:56 a.m.

    I think it's still a sad state of affairs when people are talking about the sex of the person who now controls the gaming division, rather than if the person in charge has the slightest clue what gaming is about. I'm all for equality, but that means the best person for the job, getting the job. Is someone who's history is UI design for office and windows really the best person to manage a division who's greatest asset is it's Xbox brand?

  • thomas1980 - July 13, 2013 12:49 a.m.

    You said it yourself "if Julie does think about what customers want". Unless she has experience in gaming how will she know what gamers want? Sony are completely destroying MS when it comes to providing what gamers want, and I think a large part of that is because Shuhei Yoshida and Mark Cerny (and other execs) aren't just good at management, they are actually interested in gaming and play games themselves.

  • PlainLikeVanilla - July 11, 2013 12:09 p.m.

    After reading her history in that wired article she sounds very well qualified, seems like a good choice on their part.

  • BladedFalcon - July 11, 2013 11:47 a.m.

    I can't claim I know much about her, though I've heard she was at least partially responsible for windows 8... if true, then that's not a good sign at all :/ But well hey, at least she doesn't seem to have a creepy perma-smile, so that's something.

  • Moondoggie1157 - July 11, 2013 11:51 a.m.

    Yea! Windows 8! Thanks falcon, you gave me something to bitch about haha

  • Moondoggie1157 - July 11, 2013 11:39 a.m.

    20 years old? Seriously? First off, I get that Microsoft is trying to reach out to their fanbase (mostly guys 18-30 im assuming) after their big fuck up that was the Xbox1 reveal, but does she really have the experience to handle something like this? Don't get me wrong, I truly hope that she pulls Microsoft out of the shit pile they're in, but I dunno, age is usually parallel to experience... hold off on your rebutles, teens... it's 96% true. Call me a cynic, but it seems like a panic move to put an attractive young woman in charge of a product that caters mostly to men. Secondly, she really doesn't look 20... Just sayin' ... I can't explain it, but for some reason I want an Xbox1... AGGGHH IT'S FUCKING WORKING!!! See I told you!

  • BladedFalcon - July 11, 2013 11:44 a.m.

    "The new head of Xbox is 20-year Microsoft employee Julie Larson-Green." Please read that sentence again. Carefully this time...

  • Moondoggie1157 - July 11, 2013 11:46 a.m.

    .... Ugh... Fucking hell. Forget what I said, it's microsofts fault... Somehow

  • BladedFalcon - July 11, 2013 11:48 a.m.

    Not this one dude, I'm sorry :P

  • mafyooz - July 12, 2013 12:29 a.m.

    To be fair I did think it said that too when I first glanced at the article. Then again I'm bleary-eyed after the unusally hot weather we're having in my part of the world kept my daughter (and by extension me) up half the night, and I did take the time to actually read it properly to make sure I wasn't just being an idiot, so not sure what this guy's excuse is unless he was just joking around ;)

  • antiAntag0nist - July 11, 2013 11:46 a.m.

    So, did you read the article, or are you just yelling for the sake of it?

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