Microsoft President Belluzo Resigns

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SEATTLE (AP) - Rick Belluzzo, Microsoft Corp.'s president and chief operating officer, unexpectedly resigned Wednesday after a little more than a year in the position. The company said it has no plans to replace him.

Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group, said the resignation was a surprise because many assumed Belluzzo was being groomed to replace Chief Executive Steve Ballmer at some point."You don't normally put someone in that role in order to take him out of there a few days later or a few months later," Enderle said.At the same time, the software giant announced a restructuring that will give its main business units more autonomy.

Belluzzo, a longtime computer and software industry executive, joined Microsoft in September 1999 and held several senior positions before being promoted to president and COO in February 2001.Several analysts speculated that his resignation may have something to do with the restructuring. Under the new plan, the company's seven major business units will be given more responsibility for their fiscal and operational performance ? duties traditionally given to a chief operating officer.

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