14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially confirmed that Bruce Jaffe, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Development, will be leaving the company at the end of February 2008. Jaffe is regarded as a key dealmaker, as he was intimately involved in Microsoft's acquisitions strategy. Although the Redmond company admitted that Jaffe is indeed moving on, his biography remains unaltered. Microsoft revealed that "as corporate vice president for Corporate Development, Bruce Jaffe is responsible for evaluation and execution of Microsoft's acquisitions, strategic investments and joint ventures."
Neither the Redmond company nor Jaffe himself have commented on the "divorce". However reports indicate that Jaffe is leaving Microsoft in order to get his own start-up going. But at the same time, it also appears that other companies in Silicon Valley have expressed their interest in Jaffe. Of course that, at this point in time, and without any official word from either party, it is all speculation.
One thing is clear despite this, and a Microsoft representative had this to say to SeattlePI: "I can confirm that Bruce will be retiring from Microsoft, effective Feb. 29. Bruce's contribution to Microsoft's growth is much appreciated and we wish him well in his next endeavor."
News of Jeff's departure comes on the heels of the latest acquisition project announced by Microsoft. The debut of 2008 was synonymous for the Redmond company with a purchase offer to Fast Search & Transfer. The deal is yet another healthy acquisition for Microsoft, after the 2007 shopping spree. Fast Search & Transfer, a provider of enterprise search solutions, comes with a price tag of $1.2 billion.
But $1 billion does not even come close to the amount spent by Microsoft, in 2007, on acquisitions orchestrated by Jaffe. The Redmond company dropped a cool $6 billion on aQuantive, an estimated $800 million on Tellme, and also invested $250 million in Facebook. However, one deal that Jaffe was unable to make regarded the purchase of DoubleClick, which in the end went to Google.
"Jaffe oversaw, executed and/or managed numerous transactions and alliances while in corporate development. These activities included acquisitions and investments spanning small, medium, and large-sized organizations, as well as Microsoft's major investments in cable and telecom companies. While in corporate development, Jaffe held several board and board advisory positions on behalf of Microsoft", reads a fragment of the former VP's bio.