“Windows unit president Steven Sinofsky is leaving the company, effective immediately,” Ina Fried reports for AllThingsD.
“The move comes less than a month after Sinofsky presided over the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft’s Surface tablet–products seen as key to the future if the PC software pioneer is to retain its position amid a market increasingly dominated by phones and tablets,” Fried reports. “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.”
Read more in the full article here.
Microsoft Corp.’s press release, verbatim:
Microsoft Announces Leadership Changes to Drive Next Wave of Products
Steven Sinofsky to leave the company; Windows executives Julie Larson-Green and Tami Reller take expanded roles.
Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows and Windows Live President Steven Sinofsky will be leaving the company and that Julie Larson-Green will be promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering. Tami Reller retains her roles as chief financial officer and chief marketing officer and will assume responsibility for the business of Windows. Both executives will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
These changes are effective immediately.
“I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company,” 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.”
“It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft. I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company,” Sinofsky said.
Since 1993, Larson-Green has worked on and led some of the most successful products for Microsoft, including the user experiences for early versions of Internet Explorer, and helped drive the thinking behind the refresh of the user experience for Microsoft Office. For Windows 7 and Windows 8 she was responsible for program management, user interface design and research, as well as development of all international releases. She has a master’s degree in software engineering from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Washington University. In her new role she will be responsible for all future Windows product development in addition to future hardware opportunities.
“Leading Windows engineering is an incredible challenge and opportunity, and as I looked at the technical and business skills required to continue our Windows trajectory — great communication skills, a proven ability to work across product groups, strong design, deep technical expertise, and a history of anticipating and meeting customer needs — it was clear to me that Julie is the best possible person for this job, and I’m excited to have her in this role,” Ballmer said.
Reller joined Windows in 2007 from the Microsoft Dynamics Division where she held a number of leadership positions. She began her career in technology at Great Plains Software in 1984 while still in college, and was the company’s chief financial officer at the time the company was acquired by Microsoft in 2001. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Minnesota State University Moorhead and an MBA from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. In her expanded role she will assume the lead in driving business and marketing strategy for Windows devices, including Surface and partner devices, in addition to her current marketing and finance responsibilities.
Source: Microsoft Corporation
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft. Still copying Apple with pathological zeal. Next up: Microsoft Maps complete with melting bridges and empty Liberty Islands.
Anyway, bottom line, whatever. Surface is garbage with a kickstand and sucks just like Windows always has; somebody had to take the fall. Buh-bye, Great Gazoo.
Now, will Wall Street sell off Microsoft by 25%, too, and cause it to drop by a whopping seven bucks?
Related article:
Microsoft exec blasts Apple’s iPad mini as ‘seven-inch recreational tablet for $329′ – October 26, 2012
Ballmer: Microsoft Surface sales ‘modest’ – November 12, 2012
Slate reviews Microsoft’s Surface tablet: Too slow, mercilessly buggy; why is it so bad? – November 6, 2012
Microsoft’s bloated Windows RT eats 16GB of Surface tablet – November 5, 2012
InfoWorld reviews Microsoft Surface RT: A disappointment; you’re better off with Apple’s iPad – October 31, 2012
Acer delays Windows RT tablets; adopts ‘wait and see’ approach after poor Surface RT reviews – October 30, 2012
Gizmodo reviews Microsoft Surface RT: Do not buy; inferior to Apple’s iPad; the worst of both worlds – October 25, 2012
The Verge reviews Microsoft Surface RT tablet: ‘The whole thing is honestly perplexing; who is this for?’ – October 24, 2012
Analyst: Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet priced too high, could be the next Zune – October 18, 2012
Dvorak: ‘Microsoft’s Surface tablet isn’t the Apple iPad, so it shouldn’t be priced like one’ – October 18, 2012
Microsoft inexplicably claims Surface RT tablet lower resolution screen beats iPad with Retina display – October 17, 2012
Microsoft Surface RT tablet Wi-Fi-only; 32GB for $599 with, $499 without keyboard, $699 for 64GB – October 16, 2012
Microsoft airs first TV ad for Surface tablet (with video) – October 15, 2012
Apple’s ‘iPad mini’ to obliterate Microsoft’s Windows 8, Surface RT tablet launches – October 13, 2012
Acer CEO to Microsoft: ‘Think twice’ about Surface tablets – August 7, 2012
Microsoft Surface tablet pricing leaked; US$1,000 for ‘cheapest’ Windows RT model – July 26, 2012
Ballmer: Uh, yeah, ‘Surface is just a design point,’ you know – July 10, 2012
Microsoft’s Buffoon, er… Ballmer throws down gauntlet against Apple – July 10, 2012
Microsoft reportedly dumps ‘VaporMg’ chassis, will use ‘VaporMg’ only as ‘surface treatment’ – July 9, 2012
Microsoft’s downfall: Inside the executive e-mails and cannibalistic culture that fueled Microsoft’s lost decade – July 7, 2012
HP said to dump Microsoft over Surface; to cozy up to Google Android for tablet efforts – July 2, 2012
Bad news for Microsoft’s iPad killer? – July 2, 2012
Dear Microsoft, Steve Balmer and Bill Gates: What is up with your obsession with keyboards? – June 28, 2012
Jason Schwarz: Top 10 reasons why Microsoft’s Surface is DOA – June 22, 2012
Why I love Microsoft’s vaporware Surface tablet – June 22, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablet said to be Wi-Fi only at launch; no 4G, no 3G, no 2G, not even 1G – June 22, 2012
Microsoft outsources Surface assembly to Pegatron; prices above $799 for Windows 8, above $599 for Windows RT expected – June 21, 2012
Acer founder: Microsoft will quit making tablets soon – June 21, 2012
Devastating video shows Microsoft’s Surface event aping Steve Jobs’ iPad unveiling (with video) – June 20, 2012
Thanks to Apple, Microsoft is doomed in the era of mobile computing – June 20, 2012
Why wouldn’t Microsoft let anyone touch its Surface tablets’ keyboard cover? – June 20, 2012
The cost of Microsoft’s Surface tablets – June 20, 2012
Apple’s revolutionary iPad vs. Microsoft’s anti-tablet ‘Surface’ – June 20, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablets provokes ‘sense of betrayal’ among Windows PC assemblers – June 20, 2012
Fox News: Copier Microsoft is doomed to fail with Surface tablet – June 19, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablet destined to be as successful as the Zune – June 19, 2012
Surface: Why Microsoft’s big mystery turns out to be a big mistake – June 19, 2012
Microsoft’s Suicide, er… ‘Surface’ – June 19, 2012
ZDNet Sr. Tech Editor Perlow: Microsoft’s Surface has catastrophe written all over it – June 19, 2012
Microsoft previews own ‘Surface’ tablet – June 18, 2012
Microsoft touts ‘major’ June 18 event said to showcase Windows RT tablets – June 15, 2012
ZDNet’s Kingsley-Hughes: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is an awful, horrible, painful design disaster – June 8, 2012
Analyst meets with big computer maker, finds ‘general lack of enthusiasm’ for Windows 8 – June 8, 2012
Dvorak: Windows 8 an unmitigated disaster; unusable and annoying; it makes your teeth itch – June 3, 2012
The Guardian: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is confusing as hell; an appalling user experience – March 5, 2012
More good news for Apple: Microsoft previews Windows 8 (with video) – June 1, 2011
Sheesh is it Google’s turn?
I suppose this won’t happen at Scamdung – aren’t they all family?
Everything is family in Korea.
I think Microsloth just did that because Apple just did it and well…copying EVERYTHING Apple does is just in Redmond’s DNA now, so they couldn’t stop themselves.
Next up, Steve Ballmurrr shows us how to copy Tim Cook’s haircut.
I knew heads would roll after that Surface/Windows 8 Tepid Response Roll out.
No wonder Monkey Boy would not give an Exact amount of Surface/Windows 8 Sale Numbers.
And oh by the way, Apple sold 3 Million + iPads on Release.
Wow, WTF is going on ?
One moment while I get my other Surface Tablet Device!
To sum all this up…
Surface / Win 8 Metro: 1
Windows OS: 0
If only Sinofsky could say what he really thinks about Microsoft & Steve Ballmer.
So does Scott Forstall end up at Google or Microsoft?
Forstall and Sinofsky are having a love-child.
Balmer is just trying to look like Apple. I’d say that next he will fire the guy over the Microsoft stores. I just hope that he hires Browett.
That’s right @GM! Apple fired Forstall first! MS has to copy Apple;-) If MS hires Forstall that could make things interesting. He’ll need to buy a helmet to protect himself from flying chairs though.
They have *GOT* to stop copying Apple.
HA! Wouldn’t that be a great revenge. Microsloth hiring Browett would be like an eHarmony match up. But just pray they aren’t making room for Scott.
its MACRO-SLOTH as in large huge slow moving company guys I created the spit words…
and SLAM-DUNG as is tossing out shit devices to consumers.
SAME-DUNG is also appropriate.
Sinofsky: You know Steve the Surface sucks and we are probably f*cked.
Ballmer: We need to let you go Steven. You aren’t the team player we need. Surface is perfect and will f*ckin’ kill Apple and Google!
Really wanted to read the whole thing but fell asleep during my reading of the press release *snore*
In keeping with his commitment to the vision of charismatic founder Stefan Jobes, Samsung CEO “Jim” Kook will also be announcing a major Executive reshuffle today:
Scott Anti-stall (SVP, Galaxy Smartphone Division and Chief Photocopying Officer) will be leaving the company, effective immediately.
Tony Ive (SVP, Industrial Design and UI), Greg Feder-3G (SVP, Software) and Bob Ladiesfield (SVP, Hardware) to all assume greater leadership roles at the company.
Monkey see monkey do.
Microsofts stock will rise by 2% tomorrow then the next day decline 2% for the next 15 years
Too late in getting rid of Sinofsky.The damage has already been done.
Probably that hideous ‘grandad’ sweater that he wore at the Surface launch that did him in.
No, for me it was the little fagdance he did getting the backup ‘surface’ pad tablet thing after the first one crashed.
Bill Gates would never let this happen.
Bill Gates let Steve Ballmer happen.
Forstall and Sinofsky to join Google and create the mother of all mobile OS’.
Ahh … My Favourite Martian.
That product launch video is epic fail.
No wonder he got sacked.
Launch a product that don’t work infront of the worlds press. How can such a large company totally fuckup on such basic stuff?
Only launch a product when it’s ready and not before! – basic business knowledge, thing Microsoft need to Goto college and do a business training course.
Where do all these Steve’s keep coming from?
“Larson-Green has worked on and led some of the most successful products for Microsoft, including the user experiences for early versions of Internet Explorer…”
Yes. IE 6 was so great!
I looked her up, and it appears that she has no engineering background at all.
-jcr
Epic fail there then.
Seriously. Anyone involved in the ‘user experience’ of IE should be drawn and quartered.
He should have been fired for IE right back then.
I guess its not all doom and gloom at MS with Halo 4 setting a launch day record and pulling in 220 million dollars in its first 24 hours.
Yep and Microsoft didn’t even create halo.
Halo was a game created by bungie, who were only a mac games software house.
All microsofts successes are products required by buying other successful companies.
Microsoft have no ideas at all.
And Microsoft learned that from Apple too.
before too many false information gets tossed into my departure and the accusations that Windows 8 stinks (which it does) and it is somehow MY FAULT let me clear the air to actually WHAT happened:
WINDOWS 8 METRO STARTED AS A GAME!
I was fooling around on a pet project a touch controlled Pac Man like game called “Live Tiles” when a ‘higher up’ walked in. I won’t mention who except to say he was a dorm mate of Bill Gates.
Unable to tell him that I was ‘working’ on a game with Window PC sales stalled, Apple overtaking Microsoft in profits and iPad iPhone sales skyrocketing I mumbled something about “…. er… new touch controls… new OS… Windows ”
The higher up said “WOW” and the rest is history.
The fact that a concept for a game was used as the basis of a major OS is crazy.
People don’t engage with games as the same as an OS.
Focus on the user experience. You wanna know why apple is better at this than anyone else?
It’s because the care about their users of their products and care about the user experience.
For Microsoft to create a truley engaging customer experience the whole company needs to change it’s attitude to customers.
The only way to do this is deck balmier. Sales guys never give a damn about customers, all they want is re sale so that their bar charts get higher.
This story is highly likely to be TRUTH.
Didn’t Microsoft fire the guy that ran Windows 7 right after it launched? And I think the same thing happened for Vista. Must be something in their contract. A reward you might say…
Wooah! Balmer fires the guy that can force MS to focus on and produce a product that works and do it on time. He does it because Sinofsky does not brown nose him. Balmer doesn’t like his fantasy world disrupted.
Someone will have to step in when Balmer finally runs MS into the ground. It could be Sinofsky. Time will tell.
Disclaimer: No chairs were harmed in this firing.
I’m sure going to miss ol’ Tippy Toes…
B Microsoft, поверхность тебя царапает. (At Microsoft, Surface scratches you.)
minimicrosoft blog
Don’t go there for the blog posts go there for the comments. Always revealing what an appalling place M$ is to work for.
I have to say it’s a wonder they ever produce anything in the ultra political brown nosing regime they work in.
Ballmer is the only clown in tech who thinks modest uptake is a success. Unfortunately his days are numbered.
Ballmer’s greatest success has been to vaporise cash, he has excelled at that…
Just sounds like Balsie wanted two dames under him, the better to distribute the weight.