Microsoft loses key Windows Phone employee to Amazon
In a development first reported by ZDNet, one of Microsoft’s key Windows Phone employees, Brandon Watson, has quit the software giant to join the online retail biggie Amazon, where he would work on Kindle apps.
The departure of Watson, who was primarily the in-charge of bringing on app developers and new apps and content to the Windows Phone Marketplace, is apparently a big setback for Microsoft; more so as Amazon happens to be the company’s biggest rival in the mobile arena.
Watson had joined the Windows Phone unit at Microsoft after his recruitment to his present role by Charlie Kindle, who was once working in a similar position on the Windows Phone team. Incidentally, Kindel has also quit Microsoft to found an obscure start-up company.
The report about Watson quitting Microsoft has been confirmed by Watson himself, who seemingly is of the opinion that Amazon holds better future prospects. However, it is also being speculated that Amazon lured the Windows Phone employee with a lucrative offer.
Watson’s departure from Microsoft comes close on the heels of the software company’s last-month move to replace its mobile unit head Andy lees with one of his assistants, Terry Myerson.
In addition, there are also indications, based on an earlier-this-week leak, that the next Windows Phone edition will probably mark a deviation from its present state in the sense that it will likely be based on a lot of the same technology as Windows 8.
