Microsoft executive Antoine Leblond exits Microsoft after 25 years of service

Microsoft executive Antoine Leblond, the man who oversaw the design, development, and testing of Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications and services, along with the cloud services and store for Windows 8, is set to leave Microsoft after 25 years of service.

“After almost 25 years, I’ve decided it’s time for me to go out and see what the non-Microsoft world has to offer. Every single day I have had here has been amazing in its own way, and I will never look back on all of these years with anything but fondness, pride in what we’ve accomplished together, and a real appreciation for having been lucky enough to be part of so many awesome things. I am sad to leave all of you, but also incredibly excited for what comes next,” Leblond stated in an internal Microsoft email.

Leblond spent the first 20 years of his career working in the Office unit, and moved onto the Windows division when Steven Sinofsky took the helm at Windows back in 2009. Recently, Tami Reller left the company amidst the organizational restructuring. She was one of the top female leaders at Microsoft. Tony Bates, who was one of the internal candidates for CEO, also left the company.

If you are not familiar with Leblond, take a look at the embedded video below, in which he speaks about Windows 8.1.