Web Development Live

Microsoft has tapped a former executive at Walt Disney to fill its CIO position, a move that shows the company continuing to fill top executive positions from outside the company.Tony Scott, 56, will start as CIO in February and report to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Scott’s most recent experience was as senior vice president and CIO at The Walt Disney Co. He has also been chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.As CIO at Microsoft, Scott will oversee an IT staff that oversees security, infrastructure, messaging and business applications and supports Microsoft product groups, corporate business groups, and the global sales and marketing organization.”More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said in a statement.Tony Scott replaces former chief information officer Stuart Scott, who was ousted several months ago for “violation of company policies.” Microsoft wouldn’t provide details about what policies were violated or how. The two men are not related, but Stuart Scott was also an outsider, joining Microsoft in 2003 from General Electric.In the past two weeks, Microsoft Business Division president Jeff Raikes, mergers and acquisitions chief Bruce Jaffe, and Windows development VP Rob Short have all disclosed plans to leave Microsoft.

Microsoft Corp. announced the departure of several executives Thursday, among them a Silicon Valley veteran recruited to help fix its unprofitable Web business and one in charge of marketing Windows Vista, and the promotion of more than a dozen others across the company.
The changes come just two weeks after Microsoft offered to buy Web portal and search competitor Yahoo Inc. for more than $40 billion, a move industry watchers broadly see as an admission that Microsoft’s own Web strategy had failed.
If the proposed Yahoo takeover is completed, Microsoft is expected to make more radical changes as it blends the two companies into a more formidable challenger to Google Inc., the dominant player in the lucrative Internet search and advertising markets.
Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos said Thursday’s announcement is unrelated to the Yahoo negotiations.
Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online business group, will hand off his duties to three insiders: Satya Nadella, currently in charge of search and search advertising engineering; Bill Veghte, a Windows marketing executive; and Brian McAndrews, formerly the chief executive of online advertising group aQuantive, which Microsoft acquired last year.
Nadella and Veghte were promoted to senior vice president.
The top executive in Microsoft’s mobile phone software business, Pieter Knook, also is leaving Microsoft. He will lead a new division of cellular operator Vodafone Group PLC. Andy Lees, formerly of Microsoft’s server and tools division, was promoted to replace Knook.
No reason was given for Berkowitz’s departure. He joined Microsoft in 2006 after turning around Oakland, Calif.-based Ask.com, which, with related sites, was acquired by InterActiveCorp for $2.3 billion during his tenure as chief executive.
Brought in to help turn around Microsoft’s own Web business, Berkowitz was charged with expanding the audience on its disparate MSN and Windows Live sites _ making them more attractive to advertisers _ and forging new business relationships, such as the ad partnership announced last summer with social news site Digg.com.
“I don’t know if he was able to take control of the pieces he would have needed to take control of in order to really turn around the online business,” said Matt Rosoff, an analyst for the research group Directions on Microsoft.
Developing Microsoft’s Live Search and adCenter, both of which the company revamped to better compete with Google Inc. in search advertising, were Nadella’s parallel responsibility.
Microsoft’s acquisition of aQuantive brought it a large network of Web sites, but selling advertising across those sites stayed under McAndrews while Berkowitz’s team continued to sell ads on Microsoft-owned sites.
With Berkowitz’s departure, all advertising efforts will be consolidated under McAndrews. MSN head Joanne Bradford will report to Nadella.
Veghte will gain responsibility for strategy, sales and marketing for Windows, Windows Live, MSN and Search. Microsoft said Michael Sievert, who worked for Veghte and was responsible for marketing Windows Vista, is leaving to pursue new endeavors. Brad Brooks was promoted to replace him.
Microsoft said Berkowitz will stay through August to help with the transition.
“I wouldn’t read too much into this yet,” Rosoff said. “There will probably be further shake-ups as the integration with Yahoo happens.”
Microsoft promoted several other executives, among them Office leaders Chris Capossela, Kurt DelBene and Antoine Leblond.
The three currently report to Jeff Raikes, the top executive in its business software division. Microsoft recently said Raikes plans to retire in September, and will be replaced by an outsider, Stephen Elop, who most recently worked at Juniper Networks Inc.

Microsoft Corp. announced the departure of several executives Thursday, among them a Silicon Valley veteran recruited to help fix its unprofitable Web business and one in charge of marketing Windows Vista, and the promotion of more than a dozen others across the company.
The changes come just two weeks after Microsoft offered to buy Web portal and search competitor Yahoo Inc. for more than $40 billion, a move industry watchers broadly see as an admission that Microsoft’s own Web strategy had failed.
If the proposed Yahoo takeover is completed, Microsoft is expected to make more radical changes as it blends the two companies into a more formidable challenger to Google Inc., the dominant player in the lucrative Internet search and advertising markets.
Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos said Thursday’s announcement is unrelated to the Yahoo negotiations.
Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online business group, will hand off his duties to three insiders: Satya Nadella, currently in charge of search and search advertising engineering; Bill Veghte, a Windows marketing executive; and Brian McAndrews, formerly the chief executive of online advertising group aQuantive, which Microsoft acquired last year.
Nadella and Veghte were promoted to senior vice president.
The top executive in Microsoft’s mobile phone software business, Pieter Knook, also is leaving Microsoft. He will lead a new division of cellular operator Vodafone Group PLC. Andy Lees, formerly of Microsoft’s server and tools division, was promoted to replace Knook.
No reason was given for Berkowitz’s departure. He joined Microsoft in 2006 after turning around Oakland, Calif.-based Ask.com, which, with related sites, was acquired by InterActiveCorp for $2.3 billion during his tenure as chief executive.
Brought in to help turn around Microsoft’s own Web business, Berkowitz was charged with expanding the audience on its disparate MSN and Windows Live sites _ making them more attractive to advertisers _ and forging new business relationships, such as the ad partnership announced last summer with social news site Digg.com.
“I don’t know if he was able to take control of the pieces he would have needed to take control of in order to really turn around the online business,” said Matt Rosoff, an analyst for the research group Directions on Microsoft.
Developing Microsoft’s Live Search and adCenter, both of which the company revamped to better compete with Google Inc. in search advertising, were Nadella’s parallel responsibility.
Microsoft’s acquisition of aQuantive brought it a large network of Web sites, but selling advertising across those sites stayed under McAndrews while Berkowitz’s team continued to sell ads on Microsoft-owned sites.
With Berkowitz’s departure, all advertising efforts will be consolidated under McAndrews. MSN head Joanne Bradford will report to Nadella.
Veghte will gain responsibility for strategy, sales and marketing for Windows, Windows Live, MSN and Search. Microsoft said Michael Sievert, who worked for Veghte and was responsible for marketing Windows Vista, is leaving to pursue new endeavors. Brad Brooks was promoted to replace him.
Microsoft said Berkowitz will stay through August to help with the transition.
“I wouldn’t read too much into this yet,” Rosoff said. “There will probably be further shake-ups as the integration with Yahoo happens.”
Microsoft promoted several other executives, among them Office leaders Chris Capossela, Kurt DelBene and Antoine Leblond.
The three currently report to Jeff Raikes, the top executive in its business software division. Microsoft recently said Raikes plans to retire in September, and will be replaced by an outsider, Stephen Elop, who most recently worked at Juniper Networks Inc.

Microsoft has tapped a former executive at Walt Disney to fill its CIO position, a move that shows the company continuing to fill top executive positions from outside the company.Tony Scott, 56, will start as CIO in February and report to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Scott’s most recent experience was as senior vice president and CIO at The Walt Disney Co. He has also been chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.As CIO at Microsoft, Scott will oversee an IT staff that oversees security, infrastructure, messaging and business applications and supports Microsoft product groups, corporate business groups, and the global sales and marketing organization.”More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said in a statement.Tony Scott replaces former chief information officer Stuart Scott, who was ousted several months ago for “violation of company policies.” Microsoft wouldn’t provide details about what policies were violated or how. The two men are not related, but Stuart Scott was also an outsider, joining Microsoft in 2003 from General Electric.In the past two weeks, Microsoft Business Division president Jeff Raikes, mergers and acquisitions chief Bruce Jaffe, and Windows development VP Rob Short have all disclosed plans to leave Microsoft.

NEW YORK Marty Sellers used to need about a hundred postage stamps every three months. These days, he can stretch that supply to last a year.Sellers, 40, now pays most bills online and receives financial statements electronically. The owner of Sellers Photo in Huntsville, Ala., he also has cut down on mailing clients CDs, transferring images over the Internet instead.”Even things like a birthday card, I will just send a happy birthday e-mail,” he said.Because many people around the world are like Sellers, the U.S. Postal Service and its counterparts in other countries are tapping technology to cut costs and expand into electronic services - including services designed to attract more “junk” mail.In the United States, first-class mail volume has dropped 7 percent since 2001 - an average of 1.3 billion fewer letters, postcards and bills each year. A 15 percent boost in bulk advertising and other discounted mailings has so far offset only some of the loss in revenue.Many postal agencies are having to serve more households because their nations’ populations are growing but are getting less mail to deliver to each, said Dean Pope, general manager of business development at Canada Post.”In order to sustain business in that formula, you have to find new services and products and find new revenue growth opportunities,” he said.One of those new services is Canada Post’s Borderfree program, which allows Canadians to buy items from U.S. e-commerce partners, pay in Canadian currency and know all taxes and fees ahead of time. Borderfree takes packages from U.S. hubs through Canadian customs and delivers them in Canada.In France, La Poste will print e-mails customers send in and deliver them to physical mailboxes with registered notes and time stamps.Tunisia’s postal service offers a pre-charged payment service for paying utility bills and buying things online.In Italy, a new digital certification service at Poste Italiane archives loan documents for banks so that years after a transaction a party can retrieve the original document with an electronic postmark as proof of its authenticity.Not all efforts have been successful.For lack of demand, the U.S. Postal Service canceled a few programs it started in 1999 and 2000, including electronic bill payments - which the private sector now offers with greater success.”If we look back to the boom days of the Internet, … there was a surge of e-commerce-related activities in a lot of posts,” said Luis Jimenez, chief industry policy officer for Pitney Bowes Inc., a mail and document-management company. “That was primarily motivated by a fear that mail would decline precipitously and they needed a new source of income.”The realization came just a few short years after that it’s very difficult to make money from e-commerce.”Now, most electronic efforts supplement traditional, physical mail. In the United States, that includes ordering stamps and packing supplies online and providing delivery confirmation electronically without mailing back a receipt.The USPS also helps retailers like L.L. Bean Inc. generate preprinted labels to include with shipments for merchandise returns. Merchants, including eBay Inc. auction participants, also can create shipping labels and buy postage online.Jimenez said the refocus comes as postal agencies find that mail volume isn’t dropping as quickly as once feared. E-mail isn’t replacing all letters and cards; partly, it’s creating communication that might not have occurred otherwise. The Internet also has created new mailing opportunities from e-commerce sales, digital photo printing and DVD rentals.And many people remain more comfortable with paper.”I just find paper records more reliable and trustworthy,” said David Hildebrand, 72. “They all push me to get electronic statements, but I can’t put them in a drawer and I can’t look at them when the computer doesn’t work.”Hildebrand is no technophobe. The retired IBM Corp. computer programmer from San Jose, Calif., started visiting online bulletin boards and sending e-mail in the mid-1980s - back when few friends even had computers.”We’re going to use more paper, not less, for the short and medium term,” said Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster in San Mateo, Calif.That means postal agencies can benefit for several more years by cutting costs through automation and measures like installing kiosks to reduce labor-intensive window transactions. A new change-of-address system in the United States reduces costs by redirecting mail earlier in the process.By next year, U.S. bulk mailers also will have to start using intelligent bar codes - with 31 instead of 11 digits of data, allowing for refined tracking and earlier identification of undeliverable addresses.But ultimately, the challenge will be creating new revenue streams.Hybrid services represent one tactic. France, Italy and the United States let people send documents electronically for printing and delivery by the post. Italy also has a reverse service, scanning physical mail into digital form - which can be great for government agencies needing to distribute items to scores of branch offices.Other strategies could involve increasing the value of snail mail with, for example, the intelligent bar codes, which can tell U.S. mailers which mailings arrive when and help them remove bad information from their mailing lists.”The better the quality of mailings and mailing lists they are generated from, the better the response rates these companies are going to see,” said Thomas Day, the USPS senior vice president for intelligent mail and address quality.In other words, expect more catalogs and credit-card offers in the short term, although Saffo believes environmental pressures won’t make that strategy sustainable in the long run.Elsewhere, postal services are adapting to local needs, said Paul Donohoe, the Universal Postal Union’s eBusiness manager. For example, in Brazil, where e-commerce is fairly new, the postal service offers technical muscle to operate Web sites.Postal agencies don’t have forever to adapt.”There will be a day of reckoning, but I don’t know how far down the road that is,” said Tony Conway, a former USPS executive who now heads the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. “First-class mail continues to decline. I don’t see anything that suggests that trend will reverse itself.”

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

Microsoft has tapped a former executive at Walt Disney to fill its CIO position, a move that shows the company continuing to fill top executive positions from outside the company.Tony Scott, 56, will start as CIO in February and report to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Scott’s most recent experience was as senior vice president and CIO at The Walt Disney Co. He has also been chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.As CIO at Microsoft, Scott will oversee an IT staff that oversees security, infrastructure, messaging and business applications and supports Microsoft product groups, corporate business groups, and the global sales and marketing organization.”More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said in a statement.Tony Scott replaces former chief information officer Stuart Scott, who was ousted several months ago for “violation of company policies.” Microsoft wouldn’t provide details about what policies were violated or how. The two men are not related, but Stuart Scott was also an outsider, joining Microsoft in 2003 from General Electric.In the past two weeks, Microsoft Business Division president Jeff Raikes, mergers and acquisitions chief Bruce Jaffe, and Windows development VP Rob Short have all disclosed plans to leave Microsoft.

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

Microsoft has tapped a former executive at Walt Disney to fill its CIO position, a move that shows the company continuing to fill top executive positions from outside the company.Tony Scott, 56, will start as CIO in February and report to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Scott’s most recent experience was as senior vice president and CIO at The Walt Disney Co. He has also been chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.As CIO at Microsoft, Scott will oversee an IT staff that oversees security, infrastructure, messaging and business applications and supports Microsoft product groups, corporate business groups, and the global sales and marketing organization.”More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said in a statement.Tony Scott replaces former chief information officer Stuart Scott, who was ousted several months ago for “violation of company policies.” Microsoft wouldn’t provide details about what policies were violated or how. The two men are not related, but Stuart Scott was also an outsider, joining Microsoft in 2003 from General Electric.In the past two weeks, Microsoft Business Division president Jeff Raikes, mergers and acquisitions chief Bruce Jaffe, and Windows development VP Rob Short have all disclosed plans to leave Microsoft.