#sinofsky

Ron Burgandy: As far as I'm concerned Veronica Corningstone

Michelle: If you were Veronica which one would you pick?

Me: I'm not sure

Cuando se hizo pública la partida desde Microsoft de Steven Sinosky, fue contada de manera que quedó como que él se iba, o al menos así se sugería. Ahora, ExtremeTech informa que ese no fue el caso; ¡Sinofsky fue rajado por Ballmer!

As the song goes,

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away and know when to run. --Kenny Rogers

These are truly words that I reflect on in my business dealings.  While reading the memo former Windows president Steven Sinofsky wrote to his employees, it definitely felt like he was living those words.

I have had both the luxury and shame of never having worked for a software company, but there is one truth about the software industry (and most industry) that everyone eventually learns: culture is key.

Yesterday, when I read the blurbs of many news outlets around the web about Sinfosky's departure from Microsoft, I kept wondering the real reason why the man behind Windows 8 abruptly decided to leave his big shoes from the Redmond campus and start a new life. 

It' appears to me that there was a clash between Sinfosky and Microsoft.

In a Neowin.com article, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates agreed Sinofsky should leave Microsoft.  And it seems also that Sinfosky's departure was panned in advance. 

Beside that if you analyse what Steve Ballmer said in the letter sent to his employee :

 am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company. The products and services we have delivered to the market in the past few months mark the launch of a new era at Microsoft…. 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

Ballmer stated : "...it's imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams" - It strengths the hint that the different teams within Microsoft were not at the same level especially when Sinfosky was at the head of the Windows Division and ruling it in an iron fist. Was Sinfosky responsible of the so-called "toxic-waste environment" he created because of his tactics  He was so much engrossed by the success of Windows, that he completely forgot about the rest of the Divisions.

As you know, Sinfosky was one of the most cagiest executive and hard to work with according to some people who knew him. Some folks stated that he used to pick up fights.  And over the years, under the leadership of Sinfosky, many executives and programmers decided either to change campus or leave the company completely.

With Julie Larson-Green at the head of the Division, her focus is to bring the spirit of the real teamwork across all the division for a better and positive results.

No. The reason of Sinofsky's departure is ain't related to Windows 8 or Surface. It's more personal...

Now that Sinfosky left Microsoft, it came with no surprise that his senior lieutenant Julie Larson-Green, the 19 year Microsoft veteran will step into the big shoes. She is from now on, responsible for the  software and hardware engineering division and will report to Steve Ballmer himself. 

So who is this Julie Larson-Green ?

Julie Larson-Green is a 19 year-old Microsoft veteran who started her career back in 1993. Four years after Sinofsky. She is a self-taught programmer and UX Evangelist. She has been nicknamed by some folks around as the "Demo Lady", showing off Microsoft's user-experience. While others speak about business, Larson's energy is mostly focused on user-experience. Like her former boss, Steven Sinfosky, Larson came from the Office division and she was tasked to fix what went wrong with Vista. Under the leadership of both Sinfosky and Larson, Microsoft shipped Windows 7 and went to be the most successful release ever. Analysts compared Windows 7 as another "Windows XP". 

With Metro U.I, Larson is an ardent defender of the Modern U.I. She has been on stage showing off the new user-experience in the fully fledged Windows 8, focusing on the simplicity, clarity and fluidity.

In her high school yearbook, Larson-Green says, wanted to get her Master's in science and work at a computer company before she ever used a computer herself. She enjoyed math, unlike other girls her age. She graduated with a degree in business administration from Western Washington University. Her first job out of college was working tech support for Aldus, creator of the PageMaker desktop publishing software that later got sold to Adobe. She taught herself to program, started supporting developers within a year, began writing code, went back to get her Master's in Computer Science, and became a dev. lead at the company.

After she left Aldus, she joined Microsoft in 1993. User experience design became her passion, starting with Internet Explorer 3.0 and 4.0. In 1997, she joined the Office team, She championed the Ribbon UI that started in Office and took it with her to Windows when she became the Corporate Vice President of Windows Experience; the ribbon has now migrated as far as the File Explorer in Windows 8.

It is said that under the leadership of Sinofsky, his tactics have created a toxic-waste environment. Many folks at Microsoft stated that Sinfosky ruled Windows Division with an iron hand, giving the fact that the former boss was one of the most cagiest executive, sometimes, programmers tended to leave the division or the company itself because of the Sinfosky. Now, with Julie Larson Green, it's a time to turn a new page. Larson's focus on the partnership and how the virtue of a teamwork can bring positive results.  Her aim is simple : to work in harmony with all the teams within Microsoft.