After many years, and a lot of releases, I have left the Internet Explorer team.
As IE8 was wrapping up, I realized that a more compelling role for me was mapping out where Microsoft as a whole needs to go with the open web platform, rather than being one of the people who focuses on delivering Internet Explorer on a day-to-day basis. I remain, as ever, super-passionate about the open web platform; focusing on delivering IE versions was not always aligning with that passion.
Luckily, I found a great team to work on – I’ll be working in the Developer Division (a first for me), on the team that works on JavaScript but also has a broader charter to help make the open web platform great.
What does this mean? From the outside, some things will certainly change – I’m no longer an appropriate person, for example, to give talks on specifically about IE – but a lot of things won’t. I still expect to attend and participate in a fair number of web conferences, and still plan to speak at a number of them – but not just about IE. I still intend to continue as HTML WG chair, at least for the time being – in fact, as part of focusing more holistically on the web platform as a whole (and defocusing on IE product delivery), I expect I’ll start participating more in a couple of other groups. I will still maintain a close relationship with the IE team as part of my new role, as well. There are some amazing people on the IE team, and although I’ll miss being a part of that team, I’m comforted by knowing that I’ll still be working with them on a weekly if not daily basis, as we have a shared goal of making the web platform great.
I’m optimistic that this new role will give me some freedom to focus on what’s really needed in the open web platform, and the freedom to be more open about what I’m doing as my role evolves. Part of that includes posting more frequently on my blog. 🙂 So feel free to comment, ask questions, whatever, and I’ll answer as best I can.
-Chris
in progress 
Congratulations on your move, it sounds like an improvement :). Good to hear you’ll continue to be active representing Microsoft in the web standards bodies!
Congrats, Chris! I look forward to working with you on the WebApps and SVG WGs. 🙂
Good luck, whatever exactly you end up doing. 😛
Congrats, Chris. Thanks for all you’ve done in building the world’s most popular browser, hoping for great success on open web platform efforts in the future.
Congrats on the move Chris; I’m sure it will be nice to hand off the target to someone else after years of taking the brunt of the standards community’s discontent. That said, I can’t think of a single person who could handle the pressure (and the glaring, dear god, the glaring) as graciously as you did.
I look forward to seeing how you bring common sense and greater purpose to the open web platform.
First my QA friends leave, then the developer ones, and now you. I wonder if Dean is next?
Any time someone can better align their interests and their jobs it is usually good for all involved. Good luck!
Congratulations on your escape! Correct me if I read something wrong, but it sounds like you’ll shift from putting out fires lit by the angry developer hoards and focus on browser agnostic, web standards based, chewy web goodness. Or, at least, I hope that “open web platform” does mean more of a focus on the HTML WG efforts and how your work can help us developers out here in the trenches. Will you need to work within the confines of any particular Microsoft tool, or have I completely misunderstood what the Developer Division does?
Scratch that. When do we find out more about what you’ll do?
P.S. So long as you do anything even close to what I think, I look forward to the day I can hear you curse a certain browser for its lack of support for X.
“I remain, as ever, super-passionate about the open web platform; focusing on delivering IE versions was not always aligning with that passion.”
then Shepazu said “I look forward to working with you on the WebApps and SVG WGs.”
Does this mean IE9 won’t have SVG?
Will your new position give you more or less leverage to advocate, say, SVG/canvas support in IE9+?
@Mardeg: Or maybe it means it will! All depends on what you want to read into that hehe :).
That’s kind of surprise to me, but well, thank you so much for your efforts for making IE better, and hope you have more success on open web platform anyway … good luck!
Congrats! Hopefully this does indeed ‘get you in a happy place work-wise’. 🙂
Not surprised. Nope. Happy for you? Oh yes. Happy for me? Most definitely. The W3C? Oh yeah. Web Conferences? About time we get to hear you speak about ideas rather than product, IMO.
Mazel Tov! And most of all: Thank you.
Will you be participating more in HTML 5 development (as Hixie wished in the WaSP interview I did with him) http://www.webstandards.org/2009/05/13/interview-with-ian-hickson-editor-of-the-html-5-specification/
Hey Chris–congratulations on the move!
Congratulations, Chris – I hope you find fulfillment in your new position.
Have a good ride and hope you will find your way.
Great! I hope you’ll find more time to contribute to HTML5 now.
Congratulations Chris! Sounds like an exciting move!
Wishing you all the best as you make this transition, Chris. Change is good!
WOOO HOOO – welcome to DevDiv! I guess this means we’ll have to work, er, together? Awesome move Chris – very happy for you.
Glad to hear you’re “free!” :p Been reading this blog ever since you started it.
And to all those wondering if Microsoft is going to support SVG — stop holding your breath, it ain’t going to happen.
Sounds great. Best of luck. I’ll miss your quick-witted comebacks at the IE team chats.
Congratulations Chris, and best wishes in your new role. I look forward to the “posting more frequently” bit 🙂
как говориться, Без пользы жить – безвременная смерть.
Im certainly happy for you personally, although it is a real shame, that the web community has lost someone like you in the IE team.
I hope that you continue to do such good work, maybe while taking less beating for often less-than-perfect company policies.
Спасибо, хорошая статья. Подписался.
Очень познавательно. Спасибо.
Congrats, Chris! I look forward to working with you on the WebApps and SVG WGs. 🙂
Congrats on the IE8 release and on your role change, Chris! I’m sure it must have been a maddening ride at times, but you have a lot to show for it, and I’m personally very grateful for the massive improvements in IE that have been made on your watch.
Ha! Being totally up-to-the-minute I only just heard about your move. Couldn’t ask for anything better. I’ve been whingeing for years about DevDiv being the natural / most productive home of the IE team, but actually this beats that by a country mile. Fewer politics, much more scope for influence and subversion. Good, enjoy, much!
Congrats and good luck, Chris!
Hey Chris, how are things going since you’ve switched teams and focusing more on an area that you are passionate about? Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
No worries Chris: The important people know that IE6 was the best at the time it was released.
But i always wondered what slowed thing down afterwards. Just security? I mean adopting a safer approach and refactoring the whole code is what every developer does every day.
There must have been more reasons why there was this HUGE gap between IE6 and IE7.
That is understandable i like the new commercials they have on tv about the i8 but i dont think i can believe in the security.