Microsoft lost one of its most public faces today.
John Connors, Microsoft’s CFO for the last five years, said he would leave the company to become a partner at a Seattle-area venture capital firm.
Connors told the Associated Press that his decision was a surprise to Microsoft brass.
“John has done an awesome job building a world-class finance organization for Microsoft and leaves behind him a very capable team,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement.
Connors led the company’s quarterly earnings calls, spent a total of 16 years at Microsoft . He also led the Global Operations & Technology group. Previous jobs included corporate controller, general manager of worldwide financial operations, director of business operations of Microsoft’s European headquarters in Paris and director of business operations of the Worldwide Sales and Support Strategy Group.
Connors will immediately join Ignition Partners, which announced its third fund, the $300 million Ignition III, in October 2004.
Microsoft said it had not designated Connors’ successor, and still had not determined whether to promote someone to the job or fill it with an outsider.