Another Redmond Honcho Makes a Run For It

The exec in charge of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet search business plans to leave the company after two years of losing ground to Google and Yahoo.

Christopher Payne, 38, corporate vice president for the Live Search group, is expected to start his own Seattle-based technology company unrelated to Web search, people familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

His move gives the company a key position to fill in a critical area where it has struggled to gain traction. Since launching its internally developed search engine in early 2005, Microsoft's share of the U.S. market has fallen to 9 percent, from 13 percent, according to Nielsen NetRatings.
Search leader Google and second-place Yahoo, meanwhile, have seen their traffic climb along with the broader market.

But one of the people with knowledge of the situation said Payne's plan to leave was simply a "personal decision" reflecting his desire "to go off and do something entrepreneurial."

A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment. Payne wasn't available.

Microsoft CEO Ballmer has made it clear that the search business is a priority for the company. But Allen Weiner, industry analyst with Gartner Inc., said Microsoft hasn't been able to come up with a cohesive approach to compete effectively against Google.

"This isn't a technology issue," Weiner said. "This is a vision and marketing issue." At the same time, Weiner said the problems can't be pinned on any one person.

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