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Tag: charlie bell

  • Microsoft Hiring Slows, Major Team’s Headcount Cut

    Microsoft Hiring Slows, Major Team’s Headcount Cut

    In yet another sign of an impending economic downturn, Microsoft has significantly cut hiring, impacting even high-profile teams.

    Business leaders across industries are warning about the state of the economy. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has even called the coming downturn a “hurricane,” the strength of which is still unknown. Microsoft appears to be taking the warnings seriously, significantly cutting its hiring efforts.

    According to Business Insider, the cuts are having a significant impact on Charlie Bell’s cybersecurity team. Bell was one of Microsoft’s most high-profile hires, poaching him from Amazon after a 23-year career there. While nothing was said about his role at the time, it was eventually revealed that Bell would lead a dedicated cybersecurity division.

    “After constructive discussions with Amazon, Charlie Bell started his new role on Oct. 11, focused on advancing cybersecurity capabilities that will benefit the tech sector and the broader economy,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

    Bell’s team has now been cut to just 200 individuals, a far cry from the 4,000-strong organization Insider’s sources say was originally envisioned. Microsoft disputed that number, but did not clarify what the original number was. The company did say Bell’s team would likely grow to more than 1,000 in the coming fiscal year.

    “As Microsoft gets ready for the new fiscal year, it is making sure the right resources are aligned to the right opportunity. Microsoft will continue to grow headcount in the year ahead and it will add additional focus to where those resources go,” the spokesperson said.

  • Microsoft and Amazon Come to an Agreement Over Charlie Bell

    Microsoft and Amazon Come to an Agreement Over Charlie Bell

    Microsoft and Amazon have come to an agreement over Charlie Bell, paving the way for the former Amazon exec to begin his duties at Microsoft.

    Charlie Bell surprised the industry when he announced he was taking a job at Microsoft. Bell was considered a leading candidate to replace Andy Jassy as AWS CEO when Jassy replaced Jeff Bezos. Despite being with Amazon for 23 years, Bell left the company, only to join Microsoft just two weeks later.

    Initially it looked like there was question about when Bell would be able to start in his new role as lead of the newly formed Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management team, especially since Amazon is notoriously aggressive about holding employees to non-compete agreements.

    According to The Seattle Times, the two companies have come to an arrangement that will allow Bell to move forward, after establishing terms regarding the limits of his new role.

    “After constructive discussions with Amazon, Charlie Bell started his new role on Oct. 11, focused on advancing cybersecurity capabilities that will benefit the tech sector and the broader economy,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

  • Microsoft and Amazon May Be Headed for a Fight Over Charlie Bell

    Microsoft and Amazon May Be Headed for a Fight Over Charlie Bell

    Microsoft scored a major victory when it poached longtime Amazon exec Charlie Bell, but the fight to use him may be just getting started.

    Charlie Bell was a 23-year veteran of Amazon and a leading candidate to replace Andy Jassy as AWS CEO when the latter replaced Jeff Bezos as Amazon’s CEO. Needless to say, Bell surprised many when he accepted employment at Microsoft, Amazon’s main cloud competitor.

    Initially, Bell was listed as reporting to executive vice president and HR head Kathleen Hogan, an odd place for a veteran cloud executive to land. As we mentioned in our coverage, the listing was likely temporary until an official announcement could be made.

    It appears Bell has now been given an official role, at least in name, leading the newly formed Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management team. He made the announcement on LinkedIn.

    I’m thrilled to join Microsoft to take on one of the greatest challenges of our time, leading a newly formed engineering organization: Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management. As digital services have become an integral part of our lives, we’re outstripping our ability to provide security and safety. It’s constantly highlighted in the headlines we see every day: fraud, theft, ransomware attacks, public exposure of private data, and even attacks against physical infrastructure. This has been weighing on my mind and the best way I can think to describe it is “digital medievalism,” where organizations and individuals each depend on the walls of their castles and the strength of their citizens against bad actors who can simply retreat to their own castle with the spoils of an attack.

    Bell also had high praise for his new employer, and its ability to help address these challenges.

    We all want a world where safety is an invariant, something that is always true, and we can constantly prove we have. We all want digital civilization. I believe Microsoft is the only company in a position to deliver this and I couldn’t be more excited to work with this talented team to make the world safer for every person and organization on the planet.

    The elephant in the room, however, is how Amazon will respond. The company is notorious for suing employees that leave for rival companies, citing the non-compete agreements they signed.

    Microsoft, along with CEO Satya Nadella, hinted at the potential issues Amazon might raise.

    “We’re sensitive to the importance of working through these issues together, as we’ve done when five recent Microsoft executives moved across town to work for Amazon,” Microsoft said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.

    Nadella told employees in an email that Bell would start in his new role when “a resolution is reached with his former employer.”

    Microsoft’s statement is an interesting choice of words, drawing attention to how it handled losing five of its own executives to Amazon. The not-so-subtle implication being that Amazon should tread carefully lest Microsoft give it a taste of its own medicine.

  • Microsoft Snags Charlie Bell, Former AWS Heavyweight

    Microsoft Snags Charlie Bell, Former AWS Heavyweight

    Microsoft has scored a big win, snagging Charlie Bell just two week after he left rival AWS.

    Charlie Bell was a heavyweight inside Amazon’s cloud business, a 23-year veteran of the company. When Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO, and AWS head Andy Jassy succeeded him, many saw Bell as the most likely candidate to take over as AWS CEO.

    Instead, Bell left the company he had spent more than two decades with, sparking a major reshuffling to help fill the gap.

    CNBC has now confirmed that Microsoft has hired Bell, although he’s currently listed as reporting to Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s head of HR and an executive vice president. It’s a somewhat odd placement for Bell, given his background, and is likely temporary.

    However things shake out, Bell joining Microsoft is a big blow to AWS, especially since Microsoft is Azure is the AWS’ closest cloud competitor.

  • Charlie Bell, 23-Year Veteran, Leaving AWS

    Charlie Bell, 23-Year Veteran, Leaving AWS

    AWS is making changes to its executive roster as Charlie Bell, a long-time company veteran, departs.

    Amazon has been in a state of transition following company founder and CEO Jeff Bezos stepping down in July, on the company’s 27th anniversary. Andy Jassy, the former head of AWS, took over as CEO, while Adam Selipsky took over as CEO of AWS, the company’s cloud business.

    According to an internal email send by Business Insider, Selipsky informed AWS VPs of Bell’s plans. In the meantime, AWS director Ryan Mackle, AWS support vice president Justin Brindley-Koonce and AWS managed services vice president John Brigden will report to AWS sales chief Matt Garman, who has been acting as the company’s COO.

    The email also indicated Peter DeSantis, part of Amazon’s “S-team,” will take over utility computing and Prasad Kalyanaraman will take over Infrastructure and Network Services. DeSantis and Kalyanaraman will both report directly to Selipsky.

    The reshuffle is one of the largest in recent years at AWS, and not unexpected when there’s such a major leadership change at the top.

  • Basketball Wives Star Sued by Ex-Husband for Spousal Support

    Basketball Wives, the weirdly popular VH1 program that chronicles the lives of women who have been romantically linked to professional basketball players, seems to be a catalyst for all sorts of juicy televised drama. Newcomer Kenya Bell is starting to experience some of this, herself, as she’s recently become the focus of a lawsuit from former Golden State Warriors guard Charlie Bell, who just so happens to be her ex-husband.

    The lawsuit goes something like this: Charlie was dropped from the NBA last year, an event which put a serious dent in his bank account. Although he currently plays professionally for the Italian Basketball League, his paltry salary of $100,000 a year isn’t supporting to the lifestyle he’s used to. Now that Kenya has an American television program and an iTunes single currently making the rounds, he thinks it’s time for her to take care of him. After all, she does make quite a bit more than he does — $300,000 a year, or so Charlie claims — so it’s time that the roles were reversed. In his opinion, anyway.

    Kenya, meanwhile, says that Charlie is currently sitting on almost a million dollars, and she still wants a piece of that particular pie. In other words, Kenya isn’t going to part with her income without a fight, one that’s sure to be tackled in the next season of the show.

    Speaking of “Basketball Wives”, you can catch the season finale of the program tonight (May 28th) on VH1. It’s scheduled to air at 8pm EST, so make sure you have your scheduled clear or your DVDRs properly programmed. I wouldn’t want you to be the only person on the planet who misses out. How embarrassing would that be?

    ANOTHER “BROKE” Baller ???? WOW http://t.co/7xGp3uNZ
    51 minutes ago via Facebook · powered by @socialditto
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    Her turn now, I’m not mad @ him RT @StilettoJill Charlie Bell wants in on Basketball Wives star Kenya Bell’s income http://t.co/yomILGo3
    14 minutes ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto
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    “Kenya Bell’s Estranged Hubby Wants Her To Support Him With Her ‘Basketball Wives’ Checks http://t.co/nrXOXjk4” <= cut da check heaux!
    1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto
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