Microsoft executive Panos Panay has left the company, ending a nearly 20-year run in which he helped launch the Surface business and played a leadership role in Windows 11. According to Bloomberg, he is going to Amazon to head the Alexa & Devices division.

This could be a big story, as Panay was most recently EVP and Chief Product Officer at Microsoft, where he led the development of Windows 11 and Surface computers. His departure was announced today in an email to Tom's Guide and other media outlets. The email was sent just days before a Surface event scheduled for September 21 in New York City.

Tom'sGuide will be at the event and will report live and in person on news regarding Bing, Surface, and the direction of the Windows business; AI is sure to be a popular buzzword, but expect the new Surface laptop to be introduced and the fact that Panay will not be talking about them at the event is a big change.

Panay joined the company around 2004 and helped launch the Surface line in 2012 with the Surface tablet. The Surface, later known as the Surface RT (because it was powered by Windows RT), was the first Microsoft-branded Windows tablet to hit the market and helped launch an entire business category for the Windows maker.

Now, 11 years later, the Surface lineup has expanded to encompass an array of laptops, tablets, and 2-in-1s, and the company is generating considerable revenue each year. Perhaps more importantly, it serves as Windows' flagship for what a portable Windows 11 PC should look like. [The Surface Laptop Studio is a great introduction to how Windows can be used on both laptops and tablets, and why you want a machine that can do both. It's Microsoft's coolest laptop in years and deserves a sequel.

Unfortunately, it's one of the few bright spots in the Surface lineup.

In recent years, the Surface Go, Surface Laptop, and Surface Pro lines have all suffered from a lack of creativity and raison d'etre. While each is a perfectly practical Windows PC, there is no compelling case that makes me want to own a Surface Go over the best laptops from, say, Dell, HP, or Lenovo.

It will be interesting to see what (if any) changes are in the Surface lineup as the company moves forward without Panos. Microsoft's most recent earnings report showed a 20% year-over-year decline in sales of devices, including Surface computers and Xbox consoles.

We will get our first glimpse of what will happen on September 21, but it remains to be seen if Microsoft will mention Panay's departure (outside of today's press email).

Today's relatively sudden announcement regarding Panos Panay's departure from Microsoft comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the fact that the company has a big Surface event coming up on Thursday (September 21).

Was Panay's departure related to a behind-the-scenes shakeup, or was it just to get the news out quickly and get it over with before the company tried to generate good press for the upcoming event? How will he affect Amazon and its tablet products, especially in light of the fact that the Amazon Devices and Services event is on Wednesday, the day before Microsoft's Surface event?

I don't know, but one thing is certain: Microsoft's press events are going to look very different with Panos out.