Surface and Windows Leader Panos Panay Departs from Microsoft Ahead of Surface and AI Event

Microsoft’s long-time Surface and Windows leader, Panos Panay, has announced his departure from the company, prompting speculations about the company’s future direction. Panay, who has been a pivotal figure in Microsoft’s Surface division and a prominent speaker at Microsoft events, will not be present at the upcoming Surface and AI event on September 21.

The announcement comes in the wake of Microsoft’s recent announcement of 10,000 layoffs and its intention to make changes to its hardware portfolio. While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged Panay’s departure, he expressed confidence in the company’s strategy and revealed that Yusuf Mehdi would take the lead on the Windows and Surface businesses.

The Surface and AI event is expected to unveil new devices such as the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3, and Surface Go 4. However, much of the details about these devices have already been leaked. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is rumored to come with Intel 13th-gen processors, Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics, a 14.4-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Surface Laptop Go 3, on the other hand, is said to feature an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, 256GB SSD, and 8GB of memory.

Additionally, Microsoft is expected to announce AI updates to Windows Copilot and Bing Chat during the event. While the event will not be live-streamed, Digital Trends will provide coverage of all the announcements, with a replay of the event becoming available several hours after the keynote.

The departure of Panos Panay marks a significant milestone for Microsoft, as he has played a crucial role in the success and development of the Surface lineup. It remains to be seen how Microsoft will navigate this transition and whether it will bring any changes to its hardware strategy in the future.

Sources:
– Digital Trends