Microsoft search exec may be leaving

The Microsoft executive in charge of closing the gap on web search leader Google is leaving the company, a source familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

Chris Payne, corporate vice president of Windows Live Search, is leaving Microsoft to start his own company in Seattle, said the source, who asked not to be identified. A Microsoft representative declined to comment.

The news comes at a time when Microsoft continues to struggle against Google in internet search even though the company has tried to overhaul its search site with a new look and features.

Google captured 47.5 percent of the online search market share in January with 3.3 billion queries, while Microsoft had a 10.6 percent share with 733 million queries, according to data from research firm comScore Networks.

Microsoft's share in January was a slight improvement from 10.5 percent in December, but a decline from 11 percent in November.

Payne, who rejoined Microsoft in 2001 after a three-year stint at Amazon.com, played a key role in persuading the company to develop its own search engine instead of relying on Yahoo. Prior to Amazon, Payne spent eight years at Microsoft.

Microsoft's late start in search put the company at a disadvantage to Google and Yahoo. Those companies made billions selling advertising tied to search results while Microsoft scrambled to build a business of its own.

Payne would become the second executive from Microsoft's internet arm in the past week planning to leave the company. Blake Irving, a Microsoft vice president who oversees the company's AdCenter system that sells ads next to search results, plans to retire, Microsoft said.

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