Windows head Steven Sinofsky leaves Microsoft

Steven Sinofsky, the Microsoft executive in charge of Windows, has left the company.

more at source..

 

[area 66]

LOL, I tough first you change your wife........ that's it, I always like when MS release a new OS to have something new, Apple is also another way to change ( all true, personally it's not that much interesting, it's hard to OC a Mac, lol )

 

[Brink]

How Steven Sinofsky changed Microsoft, for better and for worse | ZDNet

 

[Colonel Travis]

From Brink's story:

The claim was that he had alienated most of Microsoft’s senior leadership, if not the bulk of the executive staff.

Man, did anyone like this guy? How could he have advanced so high with everyone in his wake quitting and/or ticked off?

 

[HippsieGypsie]

I take him a hard-nosed boss with a brilliant mind. He has a reputation to create cutting edge products on time, namely 7 and 8. Come up with a plan, execute the plan, and get it out the door on time. No pussyfooting around. I didn't care for bosses like that, but they were right.

Don't forget that MS has made more millionaires than any other company on the planet. I would assume he had enough to leave for retirement.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
C'mon guys
We are all 'Corporate Wh---s' at heart. If someone offers us a decent job at a high rate of pay would we refuse it. --Think not these days.

However in the corporate world - especially at the top levels people come and people go.

Ms has survived quite decently without Bill Gates at its helm.

Apple is in SERIOUS problems without anybody decent to replace Steve Jobs.

Kodak have gone down like a leaky sieve because they couldn't understand DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY was the future.

We shall see what we shall see -- but MS isn't going bust anytime soon and the new bod might be "just what the doctor ordered".

However what gets really in the craw about these replacements is the OBSCENE amounts of money these guys get - especially when it seems like "Rewards for Failure".

Any UK Guys here -- I like the BBC --I use its web site daily and love the sport on BBC R5 Live or Sports Extra - world wide on the Internet ( Tune in via Tunein TuneIn: Listen to Online Radio, Music and Talk Stations works on mobiles too !!)- but how do people justify paying a guy ONE YEAR'S salary (450,000 GBP approx. / 640. 000 USD) to the last director general of the BBC when he was about to get FIRED and had only been in the post for 50 days !!!

I think the US is better here --if you Fire a guy he doesn't normally walk away with A YEAR'S Salary.


Cheers
jimbo

 

[dirtyvu]

From Brink's story:

The claim was that he had alienated most of Microsoft’s senior leadership, if not the bulk of the executive staff.

Man, did anyone like this guy? How could he have advanced so high with everyone in his wake quitting and/or ticked off?

because he was the guy that put the screws to the employees to get a product out. In Microsoft's past, they had a ton of guys doing R&D. working with their own projects. showing off all the "ooh, ahh" things they were working on. and then no product gets released.

in fact, the reason the OS that eventually became Windows Vista was extremely ambitious but it had technologies that were way over their heads and not even close for a mass production OS. so after realizing that the OS wasn't going to make it, they scrapped their original intentions for Vista and started completely over. that's why XP was around for so long. they started all over on Vista and went with much simpler goals. but because they started all over, they were suddenly way way way behind. so Vista was released very late and rough.

So Sinofsky, with a reputation of getting things done and with a great track record with Office, was brought in to make sure Windows 7 met the deadlines and would be out in time.

He wasn't brought in because Vista was bad. He was brought in to clean house and make sure nothing like Vista's development would happen again. That they had to set realistic goals for what could be accomplished and to execute. He would rather take away features than implement features that didn't work. A lot of his Office guys and Windows guys would get mad that he would cut out features that they wanted to include, but those features didn't make deadlines which was key.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

- but how do people justify paying a guy ONE YEAR'S salary (450,000 GBP approx. / 640. 000 USD) to the last director general of the BBC when he was about to get FIRED and had only been in the post for 50 days !!!

I think the US is better here --if you Fire a guy he doesn't normally walk away with A YEAR'S Salary.

:thumbup:

Because he's a more experienced corporate w____??

U.S. is probably better, for it's nothing for these top execs to make $10-30 mil a year. Even after a year, I don't think they give a rat's ass. I mean, who could possibly be worth that much?!!

@dirtyvu. :thumbup:

 

[Coke Robot]

Yeah, I was about to say, Sinofsky RESIGNED. There is no mention anywhere of him being fired, but although the announcement broke late Monday evening which doesn't make it seem like a planned announcement. I'm starting to think it's because he realized he's (YEAH!! A WINDOWS PHONE COMMERCIAL IS ON TV!!) not the next CEO for Microsoft at least for a LONG time, as Ballmer has said he won't step down until his kids are all in college.

But then again, Sinofsky probably left out of frustration because his Windows division has Xbox services baked in, Bing services as well, and it's known for a while now that he is NOT very keen on anything diminishing Windows, as theoretically that might diminish his power or authority. I bet Ballmer was planning on firing him as he is known to be a pain in the groin to work with, and that isn't something Microsoft needs right now; it needs every division working together in harmony and providing a seamless user experience across disparate platforms. Whoever obstructs their new goal has to be taken out of the way.

I see Sinofsky as someone who is rather intelligent, sharp mind, but with a serious attitude and control issues. The descriptions of him sound A LOT like how steve jobs ran apple: take no crap from anyone, work everyone to their limit, and it's his way or no way.

And I agree jimbo, apple might end up like Microsoft a decade ago. They're in trouble and the whispers that were going around this past summer about apple not being all it's hyped up to be have turned into speculation. Speculation causes fear with investors, loss of investors causes lower stock prices, eventually lower profit revenues. They will stay around, but will just be another brand name that has more connotation to it than others.

 

[pparks1]

I've worked with a number of people over the years who all "resigned" when they were called into the office and handed their resignation letter and a severance package.

 

[SIW2]

I don't think any of us know exactly what happened there.

Haven't you ever heard of people being asked to resign. Amounts to the same thing. Saves face for the one who goes - and paperwork for the company.

 

[Coke Robot]

I've worked with a number of people over the years who all "resigned" when they were called into the office and handed their resignation letter and a severance package.

True, but I don't see much logical reasoning as to why after barely two weeks after Windows 8 comes out and Q4 reviews and info about Windows sales are doing aren't even out and won't be for a while. There isn't really anything to say that Windows 8 is doing awful considering it hasn't been out for a full month.

I still say it has to do with not working well with others that caused him to either leave or get fired.

 

[Colonel Travis]

Sinofsky has to leave under "resignation" because if he left under "fired" his reputation would be damaged much worse than it is now.

There's a guy who used to play MLB named Milton Bradley, just like the game co. If he wasn't the biggest jerk in his era he was No. 2. He played for 8 teams in 12 years. Everyone knew what a jerk he was but when he left one team, another was always waiting until he sucked so much no one bothered anymore. I guarantee that everyone at the highest levels of the Digital World will know exactly why Sinofsky left, and someone will give him another high profile shot if he decides not to go it alone.

 

[Coke Robot]

Also, I'd like to say to whomever believes that Microsoft will be ditching the Start Screen and putting the menu back just because Sinofsky left is rather uncouth. Seriously, it'd be an idiotic move on their behalf to put the menu back after spending millions upon millions and so much effort and time to develop the Start Screen to say, "Yeah, we fired the head of the Windows division and we're going to put the start menu back, charge people money for a faster Windows 7, and forget that we just dumped a crapton of money and effectively made ourselves redundant in an age where mobile tablet computing is going to become mainstream just because some people demand a start menu and we fired the head of the Windows division."

Uh hu.

 

[Colonel Travis]

"Yeah, we fired the head of the Windows division and we're going to put the start menu back, charge people money for a faster Windows 7, and forget that we just dumped a crapton of money and effectively made ourselves redundant in an age where mobile tablet computing is going to become mainstream just because some people demand a start menu and we fired the head of the Windows division."

What you described will be called Windows 9.

 

[mcnulty]

Also, I'd like to say to whomever believes that Microsoft will be ditching the Start Screen and putting the menu back just because Sinofsky left is rather uncouth. Seriously, it'd be an idiotic move on their behalf to put the menu back after spending millions upon millions and so much effort and time to develop the Start Screen to say, "Yeah, we fired the head of the Windows division and we're going to put the start menu back, charge people money for a faster Windows 7, and forget that we just dumped a crapton of money and effectively made ourselves redundant in an age where mobile tablet computing is going to become mainstream just because some people demand a start menu and we fired the head of the Windows division."

Uh hu.

You're right, Microsoft is almost irrelevant in this new brave mobile world. Trouble is, a new start screen is not going to change that. It may well piddle off many of their traditional customers though.

 

[area 66]

It may well piddle off many of their traditional customers though.

They already did, I never say anything bad about Microsoft until Windows 8

 

[SIW2]

I am afraid so.

Some have said MS are in a panic.

Not sure that fully describes it..

They are attempting back door monetarisation of the users.

They aren't putting that in the commercials of course. The customer isn't supposed to know.

Clearly, most people - including those on computer forums don't know.

That is the thrust of the thing.

Very unwelcome.

That is the main point of win8 - it is a new and unpleasant direction.

 

[dirtyvu]

But then again, Sinofsky probably left out of frustration because his Windows division has Xbox services baked in, Bing services as well, and it's known for a while now that he is NOT very keen on anything diminishing Windows, as theoretically that might diminish his power or authority.

this isn't correct at all. in fact, Sinofsky was the one demanding that everything go under the Windows umbrella. he didn't like having divisions out there that he couldn't control. the Windows Phone division fought having to fall under the Windows umbrella. Sinofsky was also demanding that the Xbox division also align and wanted more control over that division as well.

people, there are plenty of articles out there to read. this was not a surprise. these articles were even written before he left.

but if you want a summary, there were lots of articles released yesterday and today recapping what happened in the past few years.

here's arstechnica:

Why Steven Sinofsky is out at Microsoft | Ars Technica

excerpts:

The problem with this is that an abrupt departure with neither a clear explanation nor a transition plan just doesn't look very good. Microsoft's stock is sharply down today on the back of the Sinofsky news—down more than three percent at the time of writing, against an overall NASDAQ drop of a little over a quarter of a percent—and is trading at its lowest level for six months. If this really were the mutually agreed, orderly transition that the statements from Sinofsky and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claim, announcing it this way was immensely irresponsible. Corporate officers have a duty to protect shareholders, and this didn't do that.

That's not say that the Sinofsky decision was made and put into action on Monday—there's speculation by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley that something happened between Sinofsky and Ballmer a few weeks ago. Yesterday may have simply been the earliest that Microsoft felt it was "safe" to part ways with Sinofsky to avoid damaging or overshadowing the Windows 8 launch.
As such, the widespread belief is that something a little more abrupt and a little less mutual was to blame. One thing obviously not to blame is Windows 8 or Surface. Though the critical reception to both products has been decidedly mixed, it's simply too soon to declare that they've failed (or succeeded) in the marketplace. While enterprises in particular may not rush to embrace Windows 8, it's hard to believe that Microsoft management didn't expect at least some push back—they know that Windows 8 introduces training costs that companies may very well want to avoid.
Moreover, if Windows 8 were the problem, there's no way that Julie Larson-Green would be selected to lead Windows engineering. Larson-Green was a trusted Sinofsky lieutenant who came with him to Windows from the Office team and led the development of Windows 8's controversial user interface. If Windows 8 does prove to be a failure, then it's as much on Larson-Green's head as it is Sinofsky's.

Jockeying for Position

Another possible cause is a battle over the CEO position. Sinofsky was seen by some as the obvious candidate to succeed Steve Ballmer after Sinofsky's successful management of Windows 7, and Business Insider is reporting that Sinofsky resigned after Ballmer refused to give him the nod.

This narrative has a number of issues, however. Apart from anything else, the job simply isn't open at the moment.

Feeling Blue

This leads to the most plausible reason for Sinofsky's departure: a difficulty working with others. Ballmer's e-mail announcing Sinofsky's departure praises Larson-Green's "proven ability to effectively collaborate and drive a cross company agenda" as if to emphasize the importance of collaboration and working with the entire company, not merely the Windows division.
Windows 8 may very well be the last version of Windows developed as a monolithic entity on a three-year schedule. Microsoft's future is codenamed "Blue." According to company insiders we've spoken to, this will not simply be a new version of Windows; it will be a set of coordinated, tightly linked products, released annually. In Blue, Windows development will not be handled exclusively by the Windows division. Windows 8 took some tentative steps in this direction, with the suite of Bing apps and the Xbox-branded Music and Video apps, but Blue will take this further still, with core features developed by other parts of the company.

This makes inter-departmental cooperation and collaboration more important than it has ever been.
Against this backdrop, Sinofsky's uneven relationships within the company become a substantial liability. Microsoft can't pull this off if teams are unwilling or unable to work with one another. Driving out big names, as happened with Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie, head of Entertainment and Devices Robbie Bach, and Entertainment and Devices executive (and father of the Xbox) J Allard, isn't acceptable when the company is (finally) wanting to act like a singular entity and not a bunch of competing departments.

Compounding this, there are rumors within Microsoft that Ballmer plans a reorganization to ease this new approach to software development. New teams, new responsibilities, and perhaps even the beginning of the end of the siloed mentality and viciously defended fiefdoms that are said to define the company today. An imminent reorganization would go some way toward explaining why Sinofsky hasn't been replaced in his role: there is little value in appointing someone, just to reshuffle the deck in a month or two anyway.

 

[Coke Robot]

"Yeah, we fired the head of the Windows division and we're going to put the start menu back, charge people money for a faster Windows 7, and forget that we just dumped a crapton of money and effectively made ourselves redundant in an age where mobile tablet computing is going to become mainstream just because some people demand a start menu and we fired the head of the Windows division."

What you described will be called Windows 9.

That was good.

 

[Coke Robot]

Also, I'd like to say to whomever believes that Microsoft will be ditching the Start Screen and putting the menu back just because Sinofsky left is rather uncouth. Seriously, it'd be an idiotic move on their behalf to put the menu back after spending millions upon millions and so much effort and time to develop the Start Screen to say, "Yeah, we fired the head of the Windows division and we're going to put the start menu back, charge people money for a faster Windows 7, and forget that we just dumped a crapton of money and effectively made ourselves redundant in an age where mobile tablet computing is going to become mainstream just because some people demand a start menu and we fired the head of the Windows division."

Uh hu.

You're right, Microsoft is almost irrelevant in this new brave mobile world. Trouble is, a new start screen is not going to change that. It may well piddle off many of their traditional customers though.

I believe that's yet to be seen, Windows 8 has been out for a couple days over two weeks now. I want to see what the impact of it will be in six months, to get a proper estimate of how much the changes of Windows 8 is impacting tablet PC and other touch enabled PC sales.