Must - restrain - Walmart - jokes! OK, this is pretty smart actually. While I am not a fan of Walmart or their businesses tactics, they do have a reputation for maintaining excellence in the field of growth and success.

Microsoft has hired Wal-Mart Stores executive Kevin Turner as its first chief operating officer (COO) since the departure of Rick Belluzzo in 2002, the Redmond, Wash., company said Thursday.

Turner, 40, will be the strategic and operational leader of Microsoft’s (Profile, Products, Articles) sales, marketing and service teams, as well as its fulfillment and IT operations, Microsoft said in a statement. His first day will be Sept. 8.

Kevin Johnson, Microsoft’s group vice president of worldwide sales, marketing and services, will work closely with Turner on a smooth transition and will stay in his job until Sept. 30, according to the statement. After that, Johnson will take on a new executive role that will be detailed in the next 30 days, the company said. He has run sales, marketing and services for more than three years. [Read the rest]