Tech Moves: Microsoft privacy chief departing; TerraPower adds execs; CoreAI names president

Geek Wire

6 days ago

Julie Brill. (Microsoft Photo)
— Julie Brill, chief privacy officer and corporate vice president for Global Privacy, Safety, and Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft, is leaving the company in July. Brill, who joined as deputy general counsel, thanked her colleagues in a LinkedIn post.
'Together, we've tackled some of the most complex and consequential geopolitical issues involving tech policy and regulation — from responsible AI, data sovereignty, data governance and privacy, to digital safety, lawful access, and standards,' she said.
Brill announced that she will launch a consultancy in September, with Microsoft as her first customer. The firm will address 'geopolitical, sovereignty, and regulatory challenges and opportunities, as well as AI adoption and digital transformation.'
— TerraPower is making multiple executive leadership changes.
Steven Hellman is now as executive vice president and chief financial officer for TerraPower. Marcia Burkey is retiring from these roles after 12 years and will become an advisor to the next-gen nuclear energy company.
'To say that Marcia has been invaluable to TerraPower is an understatement. She has been instrumental at every stage of growth, touched every aspect of our business, and played a defining role in guiding our company's journey,' said TerraPower president and CEO Chris Levesque in a statement.
Hellman comes to the role from USB and was at Credit Suisse for 14 years. Levesque praised Hellman's global background and experience crafting strategic deals as key skills as the company aims to commercialize and scale its operations.
Eric Williams is being promoted to serve as TerraPower's first executive vice president and chief operating officer. Williams has been with TerraPower for more than a decade and currently is the senior vice president and design authority for its Natrium technology, which is the company's reactor technology.
Williams has spent his career in the nuclear sector, and Levesque noted that he 'has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead with integrity, foster collaboration, and deliver results.'
Brad Miller. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Brad Miller, a past manager at Amazon and Microsoft, is now president of CoreAI for Keystone.ai, a technology and services firm based in San Francisco. Miller will work from its Seattle office, which has roughly 50 employees. The company's total headcount is more than 280.
'Keystone has brought together one of the most extraordinary teams I've encountered — a team of visionary AI scientists, economists, machine learning engineers, operators and change managers who have built some of the most advanced forecasting and supply chain AI systems in the world,' Miller said in a statement.
Miller comes to the role from Moderna, where he served as chief information officer and helped lead the deployment of mChat, a secure, generative AI platform. While at Moderna, he worked in partnership with Keystone, leading the pharmaceutical giant to become CoreAI's inaugural customer.
— Microsoft is bolstering its political muscle, according to news from Axios, which reported two moves:
The tech giant hired Lisa Monaco , a former Biden Administration attorney, to become president of global affairs, overseeing cybersecurity policy and initiatives with governments and organizations globally.
, a former Biden Administration attorney, to become president of global affairs, overseeing cybersecurity policy and initiatives with governments and organizations globally. And it is promoting C.J. Mahoney, a former Trump administration official, from corporate vice president to the role of general counsel, where he will focus on legal issues addressing Microsoft's products and services.
Jules Graybill. (LinkedIn Photo)
— After more than 25 years at Amazon, Jules Graybill is leaving the company and his role as director of AWS messaging services.
'I made some dear friends,' Graybill wrote on LinkedIn. 'I had a part in inventing clever processes and technologies that are still in use today. I'm proud of the work I did.'
He went on to offer some constructive criticism for the Seattle corporation.
The company 'needs to do so much better at diversity, equity, and inclusion,' Graybill said. He added that Amazon leaders struggle to find a balance with employees between control and predictability and allowing for greater autonomy that begets rapid innovation. 'These days control is the story,' he said, 'so the innovation taking place is too safe and incremental for my taste.'
— TalentBloom has appointed David DeBey as managing director. The Bellevue, Wash., company supports the development of diverse leaders and offers project-based consulting services. DeBay comes to the role from Point B, where he was a director for eight years. 'It's a rare and special thing to find work that aligns so closely with what you believe in,' DeBey wrote on LinkedIn.
Nirav Desai. (LinkedIn Photo)
— Nirav S. Desai joined HP as director of innovation acceleration and strategy within its Technology Innovation Office. Desai previously founded Moonbeam Exchange, a Seattle-based consulting firm the connects corporate and economic development leaders to the innovation economy. Desai was chief technologist for Booz Allen Hamilton, leaving the company after 14 years.
Desai said via email that he is 'excited to create stronger ties between HP — the original Silicon Valley startup — and the Pacific Northwest's vibrant community of innovators, startups, and research institutions.'
— Don Listwin joined Seattle agriculture tech startup Carbon Robotics as a lead independent director. Listwin is a longtime tech leader with experience in exec roles at Cisco, Openwave Systems, and RapidAI.
— Jim Dubois, former CIO of Microsoft, is joining the advisory board for Mvue.ai, a Seattle-based agentic AI platform tackling enterprise finance operations.
— Mary Jesse, a long-time tech leader who got her start at McCaw Cellular, is a strategic advisor for PlayyOn, a digital platform that helps athletes, coaches and sports organizations in building their brands and managing logistics.