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Tech Moves, Feb. 25, 2026: Zillow Promotes Product Leaders, AWS Executive Retires, Microsoft Hires Apple AI Veteran

By TheFinanceBase Team5 min read
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A GeekWire roundup published February 25, 2026 reported three headline changes in Pacific Northwest technology: Zillow promoted Christopher Roberts to chief product officer, AWS public-sector executive Jeffrey Kratz announced his retirement, and Microsoft hired Manasa Hari from Apple for its California-based AI Super Intelligence program. The same roundup listed additional moves across Microsoft, Amazon, Redfin, DexCare, Read AI, Redapt and other organizations.

This is a dated personnel record, not breaking news as of August 18, 2026. The roles below describe the February announcements; some people’s current positions have not been independently re-confirmed.

Zillow’s product, rentals and corporate-affairs promotions

Zillow announced three internal promotions on February 25. Christopher Roberts was promoted to chief product officer after more than 18 years at the company, including service as general manager of Zillow Rentals. Jon Lim became senior vice president of Rentals Product & Business Operations, and Marissa Brooks became senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. Zillow described the changes in its first-party announcement.

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Christopher Roberts: product leadership

Roberts was set to lead Zillow’s Product organization as the company developed an AI-era housing platform. His prior Rentals experience gives the promotion a broad remit spanning consumer search, rental-market products, professional workflows and digital transaction services. Zillow said its product priorities include automation, personalization, predictive intelligence, digital transaction support and AI across search, touring, financing and coordination among housing professionals.

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Zillow also called itself the “No. 1 preferred platform among renters”; that is Zillow’s characterization, not an independently established market ranking. The promotion was an internal elevation, not an external hire.

Jon Lim: rentals operations

Lim’s expanded role places product management and business operations for Rentals under one senior leader. Zillow described Rentals as a major growth area, making the appointment relevant to landlords, property managers and renters as well as to the company’s consumer marketplace.

Marissa Brooks: corporate affairs

Brooks’s promotion expanded responsibility for communications, government relations and housing-policy engagement. Taken together, the three appointments linked Zillow’s product execution, rental-market expansion and external policy work.

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A current-status caution is necessary: Zillow’s leadership page retrieved in August 2026 did not list Roberts among the displayed leaders. Zillow’s April 15, 2026 SEC filing names executive officers including CTO David Beitel, COO Jun Choo, CFO Jeremy Hofmann and Chief Industry Development Officer Errol Samuelson, but it does not by itself confirm every February leadership change.

Jeffrey Kratz retires from AWS

Jeffrey Kratz announced his retirement from AWS after more than 13 years. His final reported position was vice president of Worldwide Public Sector Industry international sales. Before AWS, he spent roughly two decades at Microsoft in enterprise and public-sector leadership roles.

Kratz said he planned to recharge, spend time with family, volunteer, play more golf and devote additional time to board work. The February report did not identify a successor, so the announcement should not be presented as a completed leadership handoff.

David Luan’s separate Amazon departure

The same roundup separately reported that David Luan was leaving Amazon. Luan had led the San Francisco-based AGI Lab and was associated with the Nova Act agent initiative after joining Amazon through its acqui-hire of Adept leadership. His next role was undisclosed.

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Luan’s departure involved Amazon’s AGI organization, not necessarily AWS, and the available reporting does not establish that it was connected to Kratz’s retirement or to a broader reorganization.

Microsoft hires Manasa Hari from Apple

Microsoft hired Manasa Hari from Apple as a partner in its California-based AI Super Intelligence program. The reported Apple role was head of product and program for the AI/ML Machine Learning Platform. Hari said her focus would include infrastructure for human-centered AI systems that are safe, useful and aligned with human needs.

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The move illustrated competition for AI infrastructure and product talent, but “hired from Apple” is more precise than calling it a poaching episode. Microsoft later described its superintelligence effort as involving frontier models, large-scale compute, enterprise-tuned model lineages and product impact in a March 17, 2026 post. That later description does not independently confirm Hari’s exact reporting line or current remit.

Hari’s move should also be kept separate from Microsoft’s subsequent Copilot and Experiences leadership announcements, including the March 12 retirement and succession news involving EVP Rajesh Jha, described in Microsoft’s separate announcement.

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Other personnel changes in the February roundup

The following moves were also reported on February 25. Several came from LinkedIn posts or company statements rather than formal corporate releases.

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Person Organization Reported move Evidence described in the roundup
Craig Cincotta Microsoft Xbox Chief of staff GeekWire report
Julie Keef Redfin Departed vice president of Product; next move undisclosed LinkedIn-based report
Ravi Doddivaripall DexCare Chief technology officer, from XY Retail GeekWire/company statement
Kelly Brooks Read AI Vice president of Sales, after nearly nine years at HubSpot LinkedIn-based report
Boaz Ashkenazy Redapt Senior director of AI Infrastructure GeekWire report
Jerome Johnson AWS Director overseeing professional services for U.S. federal, defense and aerospace customers LinkedIn-based report
Jill Angelo Special Olympics Washington Board chair GeekWire report
Frieda Chan Yale Ventures Director of Business Development, from UW CoMotion GeekWire report
Tom Craven Yoodli Enterprise sales leader GeekWire report
William Bal EdgeRunner AI Vice president of Growth GeekWire report

These appointments include promotions, retirements, departures, board service and external hires. They appeared in one regional roundup, but the reporting does not show that they formed a coordinated restructuring.

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What the moves suggest about the regional technology market

Product and marketplace expansion

Zillow’s appointments put product systems, Rentals growth and housing-policy engagement at the center of one leadership update. The company’s stated AI priorities point toward deeper automation and personalization in a marketplace that serves consumers and industry professionals.

Public-sector cloud continuity

Kratz’s retirement marks the departure of a long-serving public-sector sales executive, while Johnson’s reported AWS appointment adds leadership for U.S. federal, defense and aerospace professional services. Those are separate personnel events, but together they show the continuing importance of government-cloud work.

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Competition for applied-AI talent

Hari’s Apple-to-Microsoft move, Luan’s departure from Amazon’s AGI Lab and Redapt’s AI-infrastructure appointment all involve AI-related work. They demonstrate executive mobility around infrastructure and applied AI, but one roundup cannot establish a company-wide trend, layoffs or organizational instability.

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How to read the February announcements now

  • Original report date: February 25, 2026.
  • First-party confirmation: Zillow’s three promotions were announced by Zillow.
  • Individual or secondary reporting: Kratz, Luan, Hari and several other moves were reported by GeekWire from LinkedIn posts, company statements or prior reporting.
  • Current status: Do not assume any February title remains current without a newer company page, filing or direct announcement. In particular, the August-retrieved Zillow leadership page did not display Roberts.
  • Scope: Kratz’s retirement has no successor identified in the cited report, and Hari’s exact Microsoft reporting structure was not established.

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Written by TheFinanceBase Team

The Team behind TheFinanceBase.

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