When Steve Sinofsky, the head of Microsoft’s Windows 8 division and possibly the second-most important person at Microsoft (next to CEO Steve Ballmer) left the company immediately after the launch of the company’s most changed operating system in 17 years, it was natural for rumors to fly about the success or quality of the product.
Nick Wingfield’s article in the New York Times said what I suspected: that Steve Sinofsky’s sudden departure had nothing to do with Windows 8, and everything to do with his relationship with others at Microsoft. Sinofsky had long been talked about as not only a possible successor to Ballmer, but as someone who is difficult to get along with. Perhaps Ballmer kept Sinofsky around long enough to get Windows 8 delivered, when it can then be managed by someone else.
To me, this is a relief. I like Windows 8 and have been using it every day for several months, and have high hopes for it to be successful on both desktop and tablet platforms. Sinofsky’s successor at Microsoft is Julie Larson-Green, who has been at the company for 19 years. She will now be responsible for development not just of Windows 8, but of the Surface tablet, as well. So it looks like Windows 8 is in good hands.
Read Wingfield’s article here.