The article suggests that he was "fired" in some way: > Sources have said the move came amid growing > tension between Sinofsky and other top executives.

The article suggests that he was "fired" in some way: > 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... and > In a press release, Ballmer praised Steven’s work, > but also talked about a need for “more integrated > and rapid development cycles for our offerings.” Further, I think your parents' question still fits with a little bit of wrangling even if he wasn't fired. It would be interesting to know what it feels like to reach a very high rank at a company and then to step down.