Amazon poaches Windows Phone dev lead Watson to head up Kindle team

If 2012 is to be the year Windows Phone bursts into the mainstream, it can hardly be ideal for Microsoft that Brandon Watson  one of the platform's senior directors  has left for pastures new at Amazon.

Watson confirmed the news via Twitter, going on to tell ZDNet that the move was a "hard decision, but the opportunity placed in front of me that was too big to pass up."

Amazon allure

According to the site, Watson's new job will be delivering a product development roadmap for Amazon's Kindle apps across multiple platforms.

As a result, that means his interaction with Microsoft via both Windows Phone and the forthcoming Windows 8  will continue, though it's his departure appears to have come somewhat out the the blue, with no replacement as of yet announced.

"We can confirm February 6th is Brandon Watson's last day at Microsoft," the firm said in a statement. 

"Brandon did a great job helping us build a vibrant developer community and we wish him well with his next adventure."

Opening Windows

Watson had represented Windows Phone amongst the developer community since April 2010, having been charged with garnering studio support for Microsoft's smartphone venture.

His move follows the departure of former Windows Phone developer and Marketplace GM Matt Bencke, who moved within Microsoft to join the Xbox Live team back in December.

[source: ZDNet]