Javier Soltero, who oversaw Microsoft’s Cortana for just a few months, confirmed he is leaving Microsoft. Is Cortana destined to become just another technology within Microsoft’s AI stable?<\/b>
\nJavier Soltero, who briefly led the development of Microsoft\u2019s Cortana digital assistant, plans to leave the company, Soltero confirmed on Tuesday.
Soltero confirmed his decision via Twitter after ZDNet reported the story earlier on Tuesday. Microsoft representatives had not previously responded to requests for comment, but confirmed his departure after Soltero\u2019s Twitter message.
\u201cI\u2019ve made the decision to leave Microsoft,\u201d Soltero wrote . \u201cThe past 4 years have been an incredible experience. I\u2019m humbled to have been a part of building something that 100M+ users depend on every day and grateful to have worked with some amazing people.
\u201cI am deeply optimistic that Microsoft will continue to grow by building great products for people around the world,\u201d Soltero added. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to have learned so much about what it really takes to have massive scale success & look forward to putting these lessons to work on something new.\u201d
Soltero took over work on Cortana, one of the original digital assistants, at a time when rivals Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant arguably pulled way ahead in terms of product sophistication. Soltero’s appointment was part of a major reorganization that saw Cortana shuffled under Rajesh Jha, as part of the Experiences and Devices group. For his part, Soltero characterized Cortana less as a true assistant, and more of a situational tool which might pop up only when truly necessary, he said in an April interview.
Javier Soltero.
It\u2019s not clear who will oversee Cortana when Soltero leaves. (For his part, Soltero didn\u2019t say exactly when he would leave Microsoft; ZDNet reported he would depart by the end of the year.)
It does sound, however, that Cortana\u2014as an assistant\u2014is being demoted to a rank-and-file employee within Microsoft\u2019s AI group. In a statement, Microsoft lumped in Cortana with other language and AI technologies.
\u201cWe are grateful for Javier\u2019s impact and strategic leadership over the last four years at Microsoft, and wish him well as he returns to his entrepreneurial roots,\u201d a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cBringing together all of our work in natural language, intelligence and assistance \u2013 including Cortana \u2013 enables us to innovate faster for developers, partners and customers.\u201d
If that\u2019s true, Microsoft certainly set the stage for downgrading Cortana. After a couple of years of work, Amazon\u2019s Alexa was integrated into Windows as a Cortana \u201cskill\u201d in November. Cortana is now also available within Alexa-powered devices like the Echo Dot.
Invoking Cortana on a Harmon Kardon speaker.
Microsoft\u2019s latest Windows 10 Update, the October 2018 Update, contained very little new within Windows specific to Cortana. On the other hand, Microsoft promised a new Cortana app for Android and iOS in conjunction with the new Surface Headphones, and that app is now available to Android devices.
Why this matters: It appears that Microsoft may be shifting its priorities for Cortana, seeing her as a vehicle for what she does\u2014a conversational interface for your calendar and other data\u2014rather than what she originally was: a digital personality. There\u2019s always been a tension within Microsoft between productivity and personality, and it appears the more practical side has won out.<\/p>\n

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