Xbox cofounder J Allard joined Amazon final month as a vice chairman on the corporate’s units and companies crew. In an electronic mail to The Verge, Allard confirmed his new position however says it’s “too early to have something to say” about what he’ll be engaged on at Amazon past “new concepts.”
Allard will report back to former Home windows and Floor chief Panos Panay at Amazon, in keeping with Startup. Panay left Microsoft final 12 months after being on the software program big for nearly 20 years. Allard spent greater than 20 years at Microsoft, cofounding the Xbox division, launching Microsoft’s Xbox Stay community, and creating the Xbox 360 console. Allard additionally oversaw the event of the Zune, Microsoft’s iPod competitor.
Allard departed Microsoft in 2010, following his work on the corporate’s canceled Courier pill. Courier was by no means formally introduced as a Microsoft product, however the leaked idea mixed pen and contact right into a digital notepad.
The Courier was reportedly canceled amid infighting between the Courier group led by Allard and the Home windows group led on the time by Steven Sinofsky. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly couldn’t select between Courier and Home windows and wanted Microsoft cofounder Invoice Gates to step in to make the ultimate resolution.
Since leaving Microsoft, Allard has spent most of his time working Challenge 529, a neighborhood service group centered on decreasing bike theft. Two Three Hen acquired Challenge 529 earlier this 12 months, liberating up Allard’s time to “orient my power in the direction of some new concepts.”
