Another Microsoft Exec Jumps Ship

Just a week after Microsoft's cloud computing leader Bob Muglia announced he would soon be departing, another MS executive has revealed that he too will be leaving for greener pastures. Corporate Vice President of Windows Consumer Marketing Brad Brooks will soon be joining Juniper Networks.

Not the First MS Exec to Jump to Juniper

Juniper is an Internet Protocol products and services company with headquarters in sunny Sunnyvale, California. It's a growing firm that has acquired important Microsoft employees in the past, most notably former head of the Redmond-based company's Platforms and Services business, Kevin Johnson. Johnson left Microsoft for Juniper in 2008, where he became CEO.

Lauren Cooney, Microsoft Group Product Manager for Web Platform, also left for Juniper Networks. She's now the Director of Developer Evangelism there.

Replacement Remains Unclear

After working for AT&T and the U.S. government as an intelligence analyst, Brooks was hired by Microsoft in 2002.

Brooks iinitially worked on bringing businesses to Windows XP Media Center Edition, but since that time he's become more involved in marketing Windows to a larger audience. He was a key part of the widely used "Windows 7 was my idea" ad campaign. It's expected he'll take on the role of vice president of enterprise marketing with Juniper. (Source: nwsource.com)

"We did so much together," Brooks said in a memo to Microsoft employees, a note that has since been leaked to the media. "We touched billions of customers with our messages. We launched amazing products. We have changed the world, and most importantly, we have delivered results." (Source: allthingsd.com)

Brooks later states in the memo that he will stay on at Microsoft until February 4, 2011 to help in the transition to his replacement. It's not yet known who that person will be, since the company has officially refused to comment just yet.