4 ms·

Although Sinofsky's accomplishments are clear, he also has managed to do a great job of alienating everyone else. If Sinofsky were a little wiser, he could've d

Although Sinofsky's accomplishments are clear, he also has managed to do a great job of alienating everyone else. If Sinofsky were a little wiser, he could've done the exact same thing while trying to be nice to the rest of Microsoft. Instead, he really embraced his little dictator role and enjoyed making people both inside and outside his organization squirm. This whole Sinofsky drama is a really good lesson for everyone. Nobody is indispensible. Microsoft will be fine without Sinofsky.

sounds 14y ago
Time will tell. Either what you say is right – Microsoft is fine – or what you say is wrong and Microsoft has a bleak future. We don't knkow why Sinofsky left, but to play devil's advocate: What if Sinofsky did do a good job of working with other executives but Ballmer felt threatened by a potential successor? Or what if Sinofsky was just set up to take the fall, since high-level executives at Microsoft must be aware of the difficulties the world is going to face with Windows 8?
- ryanmolden 14y ago
  >Either what you say is right – Microsoft is fine – or what you say is wrong and Microsoft has a bleak future. And either of these could have to do with Sinofsky, or not. Honestly the whole speculation about what this portends for Microsoft is humorous.
- zmmmmm 14y ago
  The real "what if" to me: what if getting things done in Microsoft simply requires an assertive asshole? Perhaps the main reason Sinofsky has succeeded where so many others stubmled inside Microsoft is because he is like that? Worse, maybe the cause and effect goes the other way, perhaps he was like that because it was necessary, and Microsoft is in denial? So they fire the assertive asshole and fix none of the other problems that required him to be that way in the first place.... what happens next?
  - nsns 14y ago
    This comment can be slightly rephrased to fit Apple as well.
    - sounds 14y ago
      Although I understand your point, there's a fundamental difference between what Microsoft did to Sinofsky and what Apple "did" to Jobs. Sinofsky: fired, Jobs: openly idolized to the point of being reality-distorting. Apple without Jobs may have to wade through the same wilderness of disillusionment, but Microsoft without Sinofsky (assuming you're correct that Sinofsky was Microsoft's "visionary") not only gets the disillusionment, Microsoft starts by tearing itself apart without any sort of pressure to reform or repair the damage. On the other hand, even assuming Microsoft is fine without Sinofsky, Windows 8 can't be considered nearly as successful as, say, the introduction of the iPhone, simply by the nature of the release: release a new product that requires a lot of change – and _fire_ the leader at the same time? I don't believe even the "best case" can be considered a success.
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
  - watmough 14y ago
    Exactly. Look at Apple going nowhere until the return of Steve Jobs. I used those bloody damn awful Performas, and was part of Schlumberger's migration from Mac to Windows 95. Then Steve came back and we got all the cool pro stuff [drawing a blank over the toilet seat iMac of course...]

sounds 14y ago

Time will tell. Either what you say is right – Microsoft is fine – or what you say is wrong and Microsoft has a bleak future. We don't knkow why Sinofsky left, but to play devil's advocate: What if Sinofsky did do a good job of working with other executives but Ballmer felt threatened by a potential successor? Or what if Sinofsky was just set up to take the fall, since high-level executives at Microsoft must be aware of the difficulties the world is going to face with Windows 8?

ryanmolden 14y ago
>Either what you say is right – Microsoft is fine – or what you say is wrong and Microsoft has a bleak future. And either of these could have to do with Sinofsky, or not. Honestly the whole speculation about what this portends for Microsoft is humorous.
zmmmmm 14y ago
The real "what if" to me: what if getting things done in Microsoft simply requires an assertive asshole? Perhaps the main reason Sinofsky has succeeded where so many others stubmled inside Microsoft is because he is like that? Worse, maybe the cause and effect goes the other way, perhaps he was like that because it was necessary, and Microsoft is in denial? So they fire the assertive asshole and fix none of the other problems that required him to be that way in the first place.... what happens next?
- nsns 14y ago
  This comment can be slightly rephrased to fit Apple as well.
  - sounds 14y ago
    Although I understand your point, there's a fundamental difference between what Microsoft did to Sinofsky and what Apple "did" to Jobs. Sinofsky: fired, Jobs: openly idolized to the point of being reality-distorting. Apple without Jobs may have to wade through the same wilderness of disillusionment, but Microsoft without Sinofsky (assuming you're correct that Sinofsky was Microsoft's "visionary") not only gets the disillusionment, Microsoft starts by tearing itself apart without any sort of pressure to reform or repair the damage. On the other hand, even assuming Microsoft is fine without Sinofsky, Windows 8 can't be considered nearly as successful as, say, the introduction of the iPhone, simply by the nature of the release: release a new product that requires a lot of change – and _fire_ the leader at the same time? I don't believe even the "best case" can be considered a success.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
- watmough 14y ago
  Exactly. Look at Apple going nowhere until the return of Steve Jobs. I used those bloody damn awful Performas, and was part of Schlumberger's migration from Mac to Windows 95. Then Steve came back and we got all the cool pro stuff [drawing a blank over the toilet seat iMac of course...]