The report this morning that Microsoft’s Xbox chief, Don Mattrick, is leaving to join Zynga is a head-scratcher in many ways, but it does make sense in the context of one rumor about the company’s impending reorg — that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may establish a broader division encompassing not only the Xbox group but also the Surface products and potentially future hardware products from the company.
[Follow-up: Confirmed: Zynga names Microsoft Xbox chief Mattrick CEO]
Reports about the reorg have been fast and fluid, to use one of Microsoft’s favorite phrases, so nothing is concrete at this point, at least not publicly. But questions about Mattrick’s “replacement” may turn out be irrelevant, with another exec instead being assigned to a broader position as president of a larger hardware group.
Microsoft isn’t commenting yet on the report by AllThingsD about Mattrick’s departure.
Zynga’s shares have climbed more than 10 percent on the report this morning.
With the reorg, Ballmer is aiming to organize the company around a “devices and services” strategy, which translates into a blurring of the lines between the company’s existing divisions and product groups.
Related Posts
