Tech Moves: Microsoft Veteran Joins Google as AI Era Heats Up

Several notable leadership changes are taking place across the technology industry, with executives moving between major companies, new startup launches emerging in Seattle, and fresh appointments reshaping organizations in AI, software, and gaming.

One of the biggest moves comes from Microsoft, where longtime executive Satish Thomas is departing after two decades to begin a new role at Google.

Microsoft Executive Heads to Google

Satish Thomas, who spent 20 years at Microsoft, announced on LinkedIn that he is joining Google during what he described as one of the most important periods in technology history, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

Although Thomas did not reveal his new position, he reflected on his long career at Microsoft, where he started as an intern before rising to corporate vice president.

For the past six years, he led strategy, product management, and engineering execution for Microsoft Cloud for Industry. Earlier in his career, he also held leadership roles within Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft AppSource.

Thomas said Microsoft had shaped both his career and personal growth, adding that while leaving was difficult, the opportunity at Google was too significant to pass up.

GitHub Welcomes New Engineering Leader

Microsoft veteran Raji Rajagopalan has also taken on a new leadership position, becoming GitHub’s vice president of engineering.

Rajagopalan has worked at Microsoft for more than 20 years, beginning her journey as a software engineer before most recently serving on the Microsoft Foundry Team.

In announcing the move, she said her focus will be helping GitHub remain a platform developers love while supporting innovation and the growing adoption of AI-powered development workflows that combine humans and intelligent agents.

Avante Strengthens Leadership Team

Seattle-based HR technology startup Avante has named Katie Bardaro as its senior vice president of customer experience.

Avante develops software designed to reduce HR administrative work, lower employee benefits costs, and provide AI-powered assistance for workers seeking benefits guidance.

Bardaro said she was attracted to the opportunity to work where data, AI, and employee benefits intersect.

Before joining Avante, she served as chief customer officer at Syndio, a company specializing in workplace pay equity analysis. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade at Payscale.

Former Stripe Executive Launches AI Startup

Vivek Sharma is leaving Stripe to build a new startup focused on exploring how artificial intelligence could fundamentally transform the workplace.

While remaining largely in stealth mode, Sharma revealed several experienced collaborators joining the venture.

The founding team includes Tore Hanssen, a founding engineer at Bellevue startup Statsig before its acquisition by OpenAI, along with former Meta engineer Robert Masson and longtime Facebook engineering director Calvin Grunewald, who most recently worked at Stripe.

Sharma said additional details about the company will be announced in the near future and invited early adopters to connect.

Leadership Change at Atana

Bellevue-based workplace learning company Atana has promoted Jeff Carr to chief executive officer.

Carr joined the company as president in August and succeeds co-founder John Hansen, who will continue serving as executive chair.

Hansen credited Carr with quickly helping the company establish new business opportunities and strategic partnerships.

Carr brings extensive executive leadership experience, having previously served as CEO of workforce learning company Inkling and HR software provider PeopleFluent.

Founded in 1993, Atana was acquired by Hansen in 2016 and has since expanded its workplace learning and behavior-based training offerings.

Major Nelson Departs Unity

Larry Hyrb, widely recognized by gamers as “Major Nelson,” announced that he has been laid off from Unity after working there for 18 months.

Hyrb spent more than 20 years at Microsoft, becoming one of Xbox’s most recognizable public figures through his work in corporate communications and as host of the long-running Major Nelson Radio podcast, which later evolved into the Xbox Podcast.

At Unity, he worked with the Community and Advocacy Team, helping strengthen relationships among developers, creators, and gamers.

Veteran Entrepreneur Joins Venture Capital Firm

Serial entrepreneur Jay Bartot has joined Seattle venture capital firm TheFounderVC as technical advisor and chief technologist.

Bartot continues serving as co-founder and chief technology officer of software startup AirSignal while also working as an affiliate professor at the University of Washington and a mentor with Creative Destruction Lab.

He said he looks forward to helping early-stage founders build the next generation of Vertical AI companies.

Additional Tech Industry Moves

Bellevue logistics software startup Auger has appointed Tucker Reimer as principal of supply chain innovation. Reimer previously served as vice president of global planning and analytics at Johnsonville.

Auger was launched in 2024 by former Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO and former Flexport CEO Dave Clark with $100 million in Series A funding.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Lucas Dickey has joined Stripe to work on Stripe Atlas, the company’s platform that helps entrepreneurs establish new businesses.

Dickey said he has personally used Stripe Atlas four times while launching his own startups, including Deepcast and Fernish, and believes strongly in Stripe’s mission to simplify company formation for founders.

The latest executive moves highlight continued momentum across the technology sector as companies invest in artificial intelligence, leadership talent, and startup innovation while preparing for the next phase of software development and enterprise growth.

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