Microsoft's Veteran Exec Yusuf Mehdi to Leave After the Next Fiscal Year

Another major leadership change is happening inside Microsoft. Yusuf Mehdi, one of the company’s longest-serving executives and a key figure behind Windows, XBOX, Bing, and more recently Copilot, is reportedly planning to leave after the next fiscal year.

Yusuf Mehdi says Microsoft is entering a major transition period

According to an internal memo viewed by Business Insider, Mehdi informed employees that he is preparing for his “next adventure” after spending 35 years at Microsoft. Mehdi currently leads product marketing for Microsoft AI and Copilot, while also serving as the company’s commercial chief marketing officer.

In the internal memo, Mehdi described the decision as both “exciting” and “difficult,” while reflecting on decades spent across some of Microsoft’s biggest platform shifts. In his early years at the company, Mehdi worked through the rise of Windows and the internet era. Later, he was involved with Bing, devices, gaming, and Microsoft’s broader consumer strategy. More recently, he has been working closely with CEO Satya Nadella for Copilot and AI push.

As mentioned earlier, Mehdi plans to stay through the next fiscal year to help Microsoft continue pushing its AI-focused transition. That includes helping “reimagine Windows for the agentic era,” expanding Microsoft 365 services, and growing the company’s broader “One Copilot” vision.

Other internal shakeups from earlier this year

Not to forget, Microsoft has been aggressively restructuring teams and leadership around AI over the past several months. Recently, longtime sales chief Judson Althoff received an expanded leadership role, while Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was reportedly moved closer to the company’s superintelligence efforts. Additionally, former LinkedIn CEO is now also leading Microsoft Teams. All that said, Mehdi’s eventual departure from the company adds another major name to that growing list.