Microsoft has announced that Carolina Dybeck Happe, the ex-CFO of General Electric (GE), has been appointed as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer (COO).
Dybeck Happe was the CFO of GE from 2020 to 2023 and was instrumental in the company’s transformation and strategic realignment. Happe will be reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella spoke about Dybeck Happe’s past experience in managing large-scale and transformational change and improving customers’ experience.
Microsoft reshapes executive structure to boost AI and cloud services
In a memo to employees, Nadella applauded her contribution towards the transformation of GE, where she was part of the team that made structural changes and strategic disposals. During her tenure, GE was transformed from a virtually bankrupt conglomerate into three separate, publicly listed companies. The announcement comes at a time when Microsoft is looking to strengthen its cloud services while trying to catch up with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This shows Microsoft’s intention to continue to lead the advancements in AI.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also echoed the same and said that she would be an important part of Microsoft’s leadership team. Her new position will be to support the company’s AI strategy, which is in line with Microsoft’s long-term vision. This position is new at Microsoft and is unlike the position of her predecessor, Kevin Turner.
Dybeck Happe’s appointment is consistent with Microsoft’s strategy of leveraging AI and cloud computing as growth engines. This year, Microsoft hired Mustafa Suleyman, a veteran of the AI industry and the co-founder of DeepMind, to head up its AI efforts.
Financial reporting changes highlight AI’s growing importance
Microsoft’s organizational restructuring in its financial reporting in August also underlines the company’s emphasis on AI. Microsoft is moving search and news advertising revenues to the Azure cloud division to allow investors to understand the impact of AI in business.
Dybeck Happe is coming to Microsoft at a time when operational effectiveness is a major concern. The company has had difficulties, such as the recent CrowdStrike outage that affected Microsoft products. Some of the responsibilities that may fall under her portfolio include the assessment of such incidents to enhance the company’s operations.
Additionally, Microsoft has announced that it will cut the staff of its gaming division by about 650 people. This move comes after the recent multibillion-dollar acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, King which is the maker of Candy Crush and Zenimax that owns Bethesda.
Most of the affected roles will be in corporate and support positions in different countries. This comes after other cuts and closures, such as the recent layoff of 1,900 employees. Also, in May, the company shut down four studios that were purchased before the Activision-Blizzard merger.
