Kesavan Shanmugam, a senior vice president of engineering at Microsoft, is retiring after 23 years at the technology giant to spend more time with his ageing parents in India.
His departure comes amid the company’s expanding focus on artificial intelligence (AI), where he played a key role in developing Excel Copilot and agentic AI systems.
Shanmugam Calls Retirement ‘The Right Trade-Off’
Announcing his decision in a LinkedIn post, Shanmugam described it as difficult but necessary. “It was difficult to walk away from the exciting work in Excel Copilot and the amazing colleagues at Microsoft.
But it is also the right trade-off for me — to focus my energy on family and friends,” he wrote. He also thanked colleagues for making his two-decade journey enjoyable and fulfilling.
Internet Praises His Decision
Shanmugam’s announcement drew widespread appreciation online, with professionals praising his decision to prioritise family over career ambitions. Some users shared personal experiences of losing parents and encouraged him to make the most of his time with them.
His announcement also prompted online speculation about whether changing US immigration policies influenced his decision.
The speculation followed reports of temporary restrictions on green-card sponsorship applications involving Microsoft and other companies amid investigations into alleged H-1B visa abuse. However, Shanmugam cited family as the reason for retiring.
Shanmugam’s decision follows a similar move by former Meta engineering leader Balaji Gururajan, who relocated from the US to Bengaluru after 18 years to be closer to his ageing parents. Both cases have renewed discussion about how Indian professionals living abroad balance career opportunities with family responsibilities.
