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June 12, 2009 2:15 PM PDT

Longtime Microsoft executive leaving company

by Ina Fried

Microsoft confirmed on Friday that longtime executive Sanjay Parthasarathy is leaving the software maker after 19 years.

Parthasarathy

(Credit: Microsoft)

Parthasarathy, the corporate vice president in charge of Microsoft's Startup Business Accelerator program, plans to retire from the company in September, a Microsoft representative said. Microsoft said his departure had been planned for some time and that it is unrelated to recent job cuts at the company.

His responsibilities will be taken over by Amit Mital, who runs the "Unlimited Potential" unit that handles emerging markets. Mital will handle duties for both units, though they will remain separate operations. Mital, like Parthasarathy, reports to chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie.

Prior to heading the start-up unit, Parthasarathy had been running Microsoft's --the group responsible for efforts such as Channel 9 and the Imagine Cup competition.

He joined Microsoft in August 1990 as a product manager in the Windows multimedia group.

Parthasarathy's departure was reported earlier Friday by PaidContent.org.

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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by  Brian June 12, 2009 3:05 PM PDT
Sanjay Parthasarathy is leaving in September, just in time for the Snow Leopard release.

Rumor has it that he's switching to the Mac.
Reply to this comment
by YankeePoodle June 12, 2009 3:11 PM PDT
this my friend is the height of fanboyism
by monkeyfun14 June 12, 2009 5:18 PM PDT
How would I know that some Apple fanboy would leave a stupid comment on a Microsoft article.
by Mr. Dee June 12, 2009 6:08 PM PDT
Well, who won't be doing anything productive anymore, so a useless platform such as the Mac and Linux will always be options.
by slickuser June 12, 2009 6:52 PM PDT
No, I believe he couldn't take it anymore.. 19 years is too long man..
by  Brian June 12, 2009 6:52 PM PDT
If the rumor is true, then he will switch to a superior computer.
by Vegaman_Dan June 12, 2009 8:12 PM PDT
Switching to the Mac? Excellent! Microsoft loves it when peope put Windows on a Mac- it's one more license to sell.


As for the superior computer, that's up for debate. But since Microsoft doesn't make computers, it really doesn't matter, does it?
by  Brian June 12, 2009 9:17 PM PDT
@Vegaman_Dan:

You are correct!

Microsoft is selling to Mac users all the time!

Thanks to Boot Camp, VMWare Fusion, etc., Microsoft is going to do well with Windows 7.
by Montagy June 12, 2009 11:22 PM PDT
Not connected? What a laugh. This guy shows up two years ago bored with the work he was doing (I think he was on sabatical), and gathers a bunch of start-up groups into a "SBA" group. Then he changes every singles group direction multiple times (go broad and forget about the money, no strike that go deep and build partnerships, no strike that cut all costs and still deliver on time). Then all of the sudden Craig's group needs some sacraficial lambs so he doesn't have to layoff his "researcher" (which are hard at work between the hours of 11am and 3pm), so almost all Craig's cuts are made in Sanjay's group. Sanjay really had no idea what he was doing in SBA. Maybe he did in his former group, but in SBA he just had everyone chasing their tails. It's not too suprising he's "retiring", too bad that didn't happen in May along with the rest of the folks.
Reply to this comment
by t8 June 13, 2009 12:03 AM PDT
Yay, another one leaving.
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by luke_marsh June 13, 2009 11:07 AM PDT
An Excellent move and good Luck to Sanjay an excellent man of good work too.
I can see a very good future dawning and would advise US interest groups to work well towards interesting technological developments that can arise and empower the people of the wider Earthly work force.
Reply to this comment
by luke_marsh June 13, 2009 11:17 AM PDT
The construct of the mac kernel is not as powerful as the one now in Windows 7 not that it's being anywhere used in terms of it's full potential. I may myself want to able to boot well all system possibility's but I do know what's in that windows engine even if the interface and use at present is limited even at the military scale. Think about that. Of course what would such have to do with external interests in a poorly made use of code architectural type owned by Microsoft not that I don't think the more Unix based Architectures don't also hold other potentials also I know for a fact the Wine groups are very interest in some things that aren't that apparent when you switch into a standard windows .
This might be because windows was initial a very poor IBM copied Codex and most of it poor er issues relate to previous incarnations and developments. There's a lot of things that haven't been done with the windows ode set yet that could change computing and holding it down to the standard Environment form is actually holding the potential back.
Reply to this comment
by servermaker June 13, 2009 12:57 PM PDT
I absolutely agree with all that.
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About Beyond Binary

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft.


Beyond Binary is a look at how technology is changing our lives and the people behind all that life-changing stuff, with an extra emphasis on that which emanates from Redmond, Wash.

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