UTF-16 also didn't exist when the decision was made. It was UCS-2. Microsoft absolutely made the right decision at the time and really the only decision that

UTF-16 also didn't exist when the decision was made. It was UCS-2. Microsoft absolutely made the right decision at the time and really the only decision that could have been made. They didn't have the luxury to ignore internationalization until UTF-8 made it viable for Linux.