* The change puts Smith, one of Microsoft’s most prominent public-facing executives, in charge of corporate communications as the company faces issues ranging from artificial intelligence to regulation.
* Smith has become a prominent voice for Microsoft on public policy issues, including AI governance, technology regulation and the geopolitical implications of the company’s global expansion.
* Brent Colburn, vice president for global public affairs, will serve as interim communications leader during the transition, the spokesperson said.
* Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, and in 2002 he was named Microsoft’s general counsel, a role in which he spent the next decade leading the company’s efforts to resolve antitrust disputes with governments around the world and companies across the technology sector.
