Frank Shaw is leaving Microsoft after 17 years as chief communications officer. In an internal note to his team, Shaw says he’s “decided it is time for me to move on and try new things,” after supporting Microsoft’s communications for 29 years — nearly 20 years as a Microsoft employee plus time at the Waggener Edstrom agency (now We. Communications) before that.

Shaw has been at the heart of Microsoft’s communications since 1997, helping the company navigate multiple Windows and Office releases, CEO transitions, the all-important bet on cloud, and huge acquisitions like the $26.2 billion LinkedIn purchase in 2016 and the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023.

He’s well-respected across the public relations industry, and PRWeek recently named him number one on its 2026 list of the most powerful people in the PR industry. Internally at Microsoft he’s also well-respected among executives, and has built up a reputation for being direct, but respectful. Many employees have told me over the years that they always fear an email from him for misspeaking or accidentally leaking product plans.

He’s earned a reputation outside of the company as someone who is always willing to argue with critics, correct stories, and defend Microsoft. In 2013, he ripped into Apple and the press for daring to compare iWork to Office, and he regularly appears on X to shoot down rumors or to correct information about Microsoft. At Microsoft’s 50th birthday party last year, he appeared onstage to read out a series of hilarious mean tweets about his PR activities.

I’ve been covering Microsoft for more than 25 years, and I first encountered Shaw as a naive teenager trying to get into blogging. I would post confidential Microsoft documents online at my time at Neowin, or blog about early Windows features before the company was ready to announce them. That regularly got me into trouble with Microsoft’s army of lawyers, and even got Neowin knocked offline for 24 hours.

Despite there being a great deal of mutual respect between us, I’ve upset Shaw plenty of times over the decades, leading to some heated debates or disagreements over stories. Still to this day, when Frank calls my phone, I brace myself, knowing Microsoft is either about to announce something crazy or I’ve upset the company again.

But what’s he doing next? Shaw isn’t retiring just yet, but he tells me he’s going to take a well-earned break before moving on to “other things” he wants to do. Could that be PR for an AI startup? Baking sourdough bread professionally? In a manner befitting a communications professional: He refuses to tell me.

Microsoft isn’t naming a replacement for Shaw yet, as he’s not leaving the company until the end of the year. “I’ll be here through the end of the calendar year, and the company is working through next steps, look for an update in the next few weeks,” says Shaw in a note to his team.

Here’s Shaw’s full internal memo to his communications team:

(don’t bury the lede)

After 17 years in this role and nearly 29 working with the company, I’ve decided it is time for me to move on and try new things. Takeshi and I have been talking about this for a while, and I am excited about what’s next, for me and for Microsoft. I remain optimistic about the company mission, the incredible talent on this team, and how much the company depends on us during this critical time. I’ll be here through the end of the calendar year, and the company is working through next steps, look for an update in the next few weeks. I know you will have many questions, and I’m looking forward to talking to you at our AMA here later this morning <link>

(start burying)

A while back, there was a social media trend where people answered the question, “What topic could you give a 30-minute presentation on with no preparation?” Me, I could talk about the US Marines, the changing nature of influence, sourdough starter, the Oregon Ducks, but my go to would have to be aspects of Stephen King’s the Dark Tower books, starting with “The Gunslinger;” the question then becomes which particular aspect. A quick primer, the series follows Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers (a mix between mayor/judge/sheriff), as he chases the man in black through time and dimensions in a quest to save the world. The question embedded throughout is if it is possible for Roland to retain his identity and meaning in a world that had moved on. The refrain is that the world moves on, move with it or fall. Can Roland move and grow, or will he be stuck? One of the concepts that sticks with me comes as we are introduced to more characters, now moving with Roland. He introduces the concept of ‘ka-tet’ to describe them. ‘Ka’ is essentially fate, or destiny, and ‘tet’ translates to a group of people, put together for a larger meaning – a group brought together with a shared mission and destiny, a group with shared goals, the willingness to sacrifice for those goals, with a deep emotional connection to each other and the ability to make and act on decisions with what can feel like supernatural speed.

I’ve always loved the evolution from the solo gun slinger we meet in book one to the team that operates throughout the later books. Roland on his own was formidable but failed in his missions, as part of a ka-tet he was in the end successful.

You, my friends, are my ka-tet. Together, we’ve accomplished amazing things. My gratefulness is endless.

We will have time together still over the next set of months as we finalize decisions and deliver great work on behalf of the company, and I will be close by after. In the Dark Tower, the traditional departure saying is “long days and pleasant nights,” and so it will be, but not until December. 😊

fxs