By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
A report for All Things D states that Steven Sinofski, Microsoft's President of Windows and Windows Live Division since July 2009, is leaving the company effective immediately. Sinofski's departure comes suddenly just as he was highly visible in the recent Microsoft Surface and Windows 8 launches, which were high-profile events for Microsoft.
The report by Ina Fried states, "sources have said the move came amid growing tension between Sinofsky and other top executives. Sinofsky, though seen as highly talented, was viewed at the top levels as not the kind of team player that the company was looking for. The move is likened by some to the recent ouster at Apple of iOS head Scott Forstall."
Julie Larson-Green, takes over as the new head of Windows.
Like Sinofski at Microsoft, Apple's Forstall was seen as the future of the company, both are highly gifted and driven individuals whose vision helped shaped the direction of the key software components in their respective companies. Both software gurus were also disruptive and polarizing figures in their respective roles.
Officially, Microsoft's line is that the move was a mutual decision by Sinofsky and the company. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer praised Synofski's work, “I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company,” CEO Steve Ballmer said.
“The products and services we have delivered to the market in the past few months mark the launch of a new era at Microsoft. We’ve built an incredible foundation with new releases of Microsoft Office, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Microsoft Surface, Windows Server 2012 and ‘Halo 4,’ and great integration of services such as Bing, Skype and Xbox across all our products. To continue this success it is imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings.”
The full Ballmer memo can be found here.
The murmurings surrounding the dismissal of Sinofski are that he and Steve Ballmer were at odds. A report from CNet, which recently profiled Synofski hints that clashing with Ballmer led to the sudden and largely unexpected development.
As for Synofsky, he had this to say, "“It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft,” Sinofsky said. “I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company.”
Source: All Things D
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