According to GeekWire, Steve Clayton, Microsoft’s vice president of communications strategy, announced he is leaving the company after 28 years. His last day is in April 2024, when he will become Cisco’s chief communications officer, reporting directly to CEO Chuck Robbins. Clayton joined Microsoft in 1997 as a systems engineer in the U.K. and is best known for his 11-year stint as the company’s “chief storyteller.” He leaves behind two passion projects: the 8080 Books publishing imprint and *Signal*, a print magazine for business leaders, both of which Microsoft says will continue. His departure comes as job postings for “storyteller” roles on LinkedIn have doubled in the past year.
The Storyteller’s Legacy
So, what does a “chief storyteller” actually do? At Microsoft, it was far more than just writing blog posts. Clayton led a team of 40 people responsible for some pretty core stuff. They built the tech demos for CEO Satya Nadella—you know, the slick presentations that define product launches. They shaped the early AI communications strategy, ran the corporate intranet, and oversaw big culture campaigns. Basically, he was the architect of how Microsoft talked about itself, both inside and out.
But here’s the thing that’s really interesting: his retro passion for print. In a digital-first company, Clayton championed physical books and a glossy magazine. It seems counterintuitive, right? Yet, that’s probably the point. In an age of infinite, disposable digital content, a well-crafted print object commands a different kind of attention. It signals substance. For a company like Microsoft targeting enterprise leaders, a magazine like *Signal* isn’t about news; it’s about curated thought leadership you can hold in your hands. It’s a storytelling artifact.
Why This Move Matters
Clayton’s jump to Cisco is a huge endorsement of the communications function. He’s not going to a flashy consumer brand; he’s going to the plumbing of the internet. In his LinkedIn post, he called it a “full-circle moment,” noting his career started with the rise of the early web and that Cisco was “foundational to that story.” Now, he says AI makes infrastructure and security more critical than ever. His job will be to tell that story.
And let’s be honest, Cisco could use a master storyteller. They’re absolutely essential, but they’re not always seen as the most exciting layer of the tech stack. Clayton’s experience shaping the narrative around AI and complex tech at Microsoft will be directly applicable. The Wall Street Journal’s note about “storyteller” job postings doubling isn’t a fluke. Every company is fighting to explain their role in the AI era, and that requires translating complex engineering into compelling vision. That’s the skill set Clayton has been honing for over a decade.
What Happens Next?
The big question is what becomes of his print projects at Microsoft. He says they’ll continue, but will they have the same champion? Passion projects often wither without their passionate founder. And his current role was all about using AI to transform Microsoft’s own comms operations—a meta-task if there ever was one. That’s a big initiative to hand off.
For Cisco, this is a significant hire. They’re getting a seasoned insider who understands how to build narrative at scale, from CEO demonstrations to policy arguments. In the coming battles over AI infrastructure, security, and cloud networking, the company that tells the better story often wins the mindshare. Steve Clayton’s career move tells us that story isn’t just about marketing anymore. It’s a core corporate strategy, and it’s valuable enough to lure a 28-year veteran away from one tech giant to another.
