Two weeks ago Steven Sinofsky was in front of the world's journalists, attaching wheels to one of Microsoft's new Surface tablets to show the device was so tough it could withstand being used as a skateboard.
But on Monday evening in Seattle it was Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, who put the wheels under the head of his Windows division and pushed him out of the company where many had seen him as a future leader.
Microsoft shares fell by 3% to $27 in early trading on Tuesday as the news reverberated around the web, leaving "Microsofties" themselves stunned as they tried to digest what the change will mean for the company. Sinofsky was "a tremendous talent," one said on Tuesday. Meanwhile "mini", an anonymous blogger inside the company, wrote: "People walking the hallways tonight at work certainly can't believe it. I can't believe it – working at a Microsoft without Sinofsky? Inconceivable."
Ballmer, 56, who has led the company since January 2000, is now isolated at the top – and could be next in line if shareholders feel Microsoft is not adapting quickly enough to a world where smartphones outsell PCs, search advertising is more profitable than games consoles, Google has almost as much cash and equivalents as the 37-year-old company, and Apple's iPhone alone generates more revenue, $17bn, than all of Microsoft's $16bn.
Sinofsky drove the development of Windows 8, the latest version now hitting stores, after taking over as president of the Windows division in July 2009, just as it was preparing to launch Windows 7 – the most successful version of Windows it has ever produced. At the company meeting in September, he won a standing ovation from the Windows team.
Source: The Guardian
