Goodbye, Cortana: Microsoft's Javier Soltero Leaves

Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant have leapt far ahead of Cortana, which may be why Javier Soltero decided to pull up stakes.

- Mark Hachman

Javier Soltero, who briefly led the development of Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant, plans to leave the company, Soltero confirmed on November 6.

Soltero confirmed his decision via Twitter (go.pcworld.com/wkfr) after ZDNet reported the story earlier in the day (go.pcworld.com/ jslv). Microsoft representatives had not previously responded to requests for comment, but confirmed his departure after Soltero’s Twitter message.

“I’ve made the decision to leave Microsoft,” Soltero wrote. “The past 4 years have been an incredible experience. I’m humbled to have been a part of building something that 100M+ users depend on every day and grateful to have worked with some amazing people.