Following the relentless excoriation of Microsoft's iPod competitor, Zune supremo Bryan Lee is stepping down to pursue "personal interests," according to the AP.
Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft's entertainment unit, mastered the Zune's release last fall and was responsible for pairing the Redmond software giant up with content providers. Though grabbing a 10.2 percent market share, Zune's star faded fast as consumers tired of the feature-crippled unit, MS's fractured digital rights managment and a wireless sharing system that doesn't.
Lee was also behind the weird deal where Microsoft paid a small percentage of the money from each Zune sold to Universal, in what was derided as a piracy tax imposed by music execs.
Allard will get Lee's Zune job in the meantime, with other execs picking up his duties running the Media Center and eHome divisions.
Things might not be too bad for Microsoft, however, as a Gartner analyst declared that the resignation "is clearly a sign of trouble in Zune-land," which means that all will probably be just fine in Zune-land within 6 months.
Executive who oversaw Zune development plans to leave Microsoft [AP via Google News]
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