Microsoft HoloLens chief Alex Kipman is reportedly leaving the company in the mixed reality reorganization following allegations of misconduct.
According to geekwire.com, the tech giant is splitting its HoloLens mixed reality group and parting ways with Kipman.
The restructuring was announced in an internal email on Tuesday evening, shifting the company’s Mixed Reality Hardware group into the Windows and Devices organization, and its Mixed Reality Presence and Collaboration group into the Microsoft Teams organization in the company’s Experiences and Devices division.
Scott Guthrie, the head of Microsoft’s Cloud and AI Group, said in the email that the changes “will align and further accelerate our overall Metaverse efforts as a company this coming fiscal year”, the report said.
“Over the last several months, Alex Kipman and I have been talking about the team’s path going forward. We have mutually decided that this is the right time for him to leave the company to pursue other opportunities,” Guthrie wrote toward the end of the email.
“I appreciate the tremendous vision Alex has provided to Microsoft over the years, and all that he has done to advance our Metaverse offerings. Alex is committed to helping the teams with the transition process over the next two months and ensuring success before pursuing what is next for him,” he added.
A recent Insider story described a pattern of alleged inappropriate behavior by Kipman toward women at the company, including unwanted touching, as an example of misconduct by Microsoft managers, saying he got away with it despite pledges by CEO Satya Nadella and other top executives to institute cultural changes.
