According to CRN, David Smith—Microsoft’s former Vice President of Worldwide Channel Sales—has left after nearly 30 years to join Google. Smith managed over $100 billion in partner-driven and co-sell revenue worldwide and was included in CRN’s 2025 Channel Chiefs list. He reported directly to Microsoft Chief Partner Officer Nicole Dezen and oversaw relationships with Microsoft’s 500,000 global partners. In a LinkedIn post, Smith called Google’s mission “more vital than ever” and said “the opportunity ahead is massive.” His departure marks one of the most significant executive moves between the cloud rivals this year.
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Why this matters
This isn’t just another executive shuffle. Smith was responsible for Microsoft’s entire global partner ecosystem—the very engine that drives their cloud and enterprise business. We’re talking about someone who literally managed relationships worth $100 billion. That’s not small change, even for Microsoft.
Here’s the thing: partners are everything in enterprise tech. They’re the ones who actually implement solutions, manage customer relationships, and drive adoption. Smith knows Microsoft’s playbook inside and out. Now he’s taking that knowledge to Google, which has been playing catch-up in the partner space for years.
Google’s channel ambitions
Google has made no secret that they want to grow their partner ecosystem. According to CRN, one of Google’s top channel goals for 2025 is increasing the amount of professional services going through partners. But let’s be real—they’ve struggled to match Microsoft’s partner loyalty and program sophistication.
Hiring Smith is basically Google saying “we’re serious about this now.” He doesn’t just understand channel sales—he understands Microsoft’s channel sales. That’s invaluable intelligence when you’re competing for the same enterprise customers. Smith can literally tell Google exactly where Microsoft’s partner program has weaknesses and how to exploit them.
Microsoft’s response
Microsoft has built one of the most formidable partner ecosystems in tech history. Their 500,000 partners worldwide represent an incredible moat that’s protected their enterprise business for decades. But losing someone of Smith’s caliber? That’s got to sting.
The timing is interesting too. We’re in the middle of an AI arms race where cloud partnerships matter more than ever. Partners are the ones helping customers navigate the complex landscape of AI tools and cloud migration. Smith’s departure to a direct competitor during this critical period? Not ideal for Microsoft.
What’s next
Watch for Google to make a much more aggressive push into enterprise partnerships. Smith knows how to scale partner programs globally, and he understands what motivates partners to stick with a vendor. He also brings deep relationships with the big global system integrators that enterprise customers rely on.
But here’s the question: can one person really change Google’s partner culture? Microsoft’s partner program has been evolving for decades. Google’s is still relatively young. Smith brings the playbook, but executing it requires changing Google’s DNA. That’s the real challenge ahead.
Basically, this move signals that the cloud wars are entering a new phase—one where partner ecosystems might be the deciding factor. And Google just hired the general who knows exactly how the other side operates.
