Chris Younger, head of enterprise growth at Microsoft, is stepping down

Christopher Young, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft Corp., speaks during the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. The GeekWire Summit brings together business, technology and community leaders to discuss the topic future together.

David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images

MicrosoftBusiness development chief Chris Young, who helped lead the software giant's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is stepping down from his post after about four years on the job, the company said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. No successor has been named.

Young joined Microsoft in 2020 after nearly three years as CEO of McAfee, where he led efforts to spin off the company Intel. He previously held leadership positions at Cisco and RSA.

At Microsoft, Young was part of the company's leadership team alongside CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood. He reported to Nadella. As one of the highest-paid Microsoft employees, Young received $12 million in total compensation in fiscal 2024, according to a filing.

Young's organization included corporate venture capital unit M12, which has invested in startups such as Innovaccer, Outreach, PsiQuantum, Skedulo and Typeface. In 2023, M12 announced that it would work more closely with Microsoft to better support portfolio companies.

Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of video game publisher Activision, its largest deal ever, closed in 2023. Young also played a role in expanding Microsoft's partnership with artificial intelligence startup OpenAI and its endorsement deal with Microsoft Netflix.

Young, one of Microsoft's most prominent Black executives, “has led the way on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the technology industry,” the company said in a 2023 filing.

While Microsoft hasn't made any recent comments about its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, there has been a broader backsliding in the industry since President Donald Trump's re-election in November. Amazon said it is stopping some of its DEI programs, and Metas are cancelled.

In December, Microsoft's chief diversity officer said the company's work in this area was “more important than ever.”

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