Microsoft hands communications oversight to Brad Smith

Microsoft is restructuring its communications operations, moving the function out of the marketing organization and into its Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) division. Vice chair and president Brad Smith, long known as the company's public face for policy matters, will now oversee communications.

The change follows the announcement that chief communications officer Frank Shaw is leaving the company later this year after nearly three decades in the role. In an internal memo, CEO Satya Nadella thanked Shaw for his contributions and for the counsel he provided to leadership during major company moments.

Brent Colburn, vice president of global public affairs, has been named interim communications leader and will report to Smith during the transition. Nadella said the shift responds to a media landscape that has grown increasingly fragmented and noisy, and expressed interest in giving engineers, salespeople, and partners a bigger role in telling Microsoft's story directly.

The approach echoes practices at AI-focused companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, where researchers often lead product demonstrations and blog posts rather than dedicated communications staff. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has previously said he wants Microsoft to become one of the top four AI labs globally and to build the best frontier models in the world.

Smith takes over communications duties from chief marketing officer Takeshi Numoto. It remains unclear who will permanently replace Shaw, with Microsoft considering both internal and external candidates for the role.