VP of Microsoft’s Interactive Media Group (IMG) Pete Higgins has become the latest top Redmond executive to resign from his position. Higgins, head of the IMG since 1996, says he will take a leave of absence before returning to the company in a different position. Steve Ballmer will take over his responsibilities until a successor is appointed. Higgins joined Microsoft in 1983. By 1992 he led the company’s desktop applications division. He oversaw the development of Microsoft Office, which remains one of the company’s most successful products. His years with the IMG have been far less fruitful and have included the spectacular failure of MSN as an online service. Higgins’ departure comes just as Microsoft is attempting to forge a coherent portal to its diverse web properties under the MSN brand. Nor is he the first out the door. In July, founder of MSNBC Online Peter Neupert jumped ship to head Drugstore.com for venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers (CI No 3,452).
