Former LinkedIn CEO leaves Microsoft, citing reluctance to relocate for ‘full time, every day’ work in Washington office

Former LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky announced on Thursday that he is stepping down “after nearly 18 years at LinkedIn and Microsoft” and will leave the company at the end of the year.

Roslansky led LinkedIn for six years, during which time he grew membership on the platform from 700 million to 1.3 billion. Last year, his role at Microsoft expanded to include overseeing the software giant’s Office productivity software group, CNBC reported.

The news follows the departures earlier this year of Microsoft’s former gaming CEO Phil Spencer, and Rajesh Jha, former executive vice president of Experiences and Devices.

“Ryan leaves the organization in a strong position,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, wrote in a memo to employees on Thursday.

In his note, Roslansky said the need to work in office at the company’s Washington headquarters, requiring a relocation, played a part in his decision to leave. (Like many companies, Microsoft now requires employees who live within 50 miles of its offices to work on-site.)

“I know what it would take for me to lead the next phase of this work well: being in Redmond [Washington] full time, every day. But my life and my family’s life are here in the Bay Area,” Roslansky wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “I thought about this for a long time. It’s the right call. The work now goes to leaders who are set up to take it further. I can’t wait to see what they do with it.

LinkedIn is not the only company to announce changes in a reshuffling of its executive suite this week. Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch is moving to Mattel; while Mattel’s CEO Ynon Kreiz is moving to Paramount-Warner Bros., where he will be co-CEO of the Hollywood studio and media conglomerate following its expected merger.