Microsoft Hires Company Veteran to Lead Windows Insider Program

Microsoft has announced Amanda Langowski as the new head of the Windows Insider Program, an online community of 18 million people that allows users to test new features in exchange for providing detailed feedback to the company.

Langowski has worked at Microsoft for 20 years, starting at the company in 2000 as a program manager, coordinating beta programs.

The appointment was announced by Windows Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, on Windows’ blog today.

Panay said Langowski had been “an extraordinary and dedicated product maker for the company.”

Panay now oversees both the Windows UX and Microsoft Surface teams after a reorganization earlier this year. This is his first big hire in the new role.

On Feb. 25, Microsoft combined its Surface hardware division with the teams that design the user experience for Windows. The new group is called Windows + Devices, and it combines the Surface and Windows Experience teams, reporting directly to Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha. The core engineering of the operating system remains under the direction of Jason Zander, Microsoft Azure executive vice president.

The reorganization ties Windows and Surface together as Microsoft embarks on a new era for its hardware division.