[h=3]By SHIRA OVIDE[/h]Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows division, is leaving the company weeks after the software giant's release of a revamped version of Windows he spearheaded.
Mr. Sinofsky, 47 years old, has shepherded the development of two versions of Microsoft's flagship product, the 2009 release of Windows 7 and last month's launch of Windows 8, the first time Microsoft's operating system has been refashioned to work on touch-screen devices as well as traditional keyboard-and-mouse computers.
Mr. Sinofsky's sudden departure is likely to raise questions about the success of Windows 8 and about his relationship with Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Microsoft watchers had speculated Mr. Sinofsky was a leading candidate to succeed Mr. Ballmer, but some people close to Microsoft said worries about Mr. Sinofsky's inability to collaborate with other senior executives made him unlikely to become CEO.
"I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company," Mr. Ballmer said in a statement. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment further.
Mr. Sinofsky's role will be taken up by two of his longtime lieutenants, Julie Larson-Green, an engineering executive, and Tami Reller, the marketing chief and chief financial officer of the Windows division.
Microsoft said Ms. Green will lead engineering efforts for Windows software and hardware, while Ms. Reller will be responsible for the business side of the Windows division, which, in addition to the operating software, includes the company's new Surface computer, the Internet Explorer browser and online services such as the MSN.com website.
Mr. Sinofsky joined Microsoft in 1989 as a software engineer, after earning computer-science degrees at Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He attracted the attention of Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and then-chief executive, who named Mr. Sinofsky as a "technical assistant" to research promising technologies. Based on his encounters with the fledgling Web at Cornell, Mr. Sinofsky helped prompt internal discussions at Microsoft that led the company to embrace the emerging technology.
After rising in the product-development ranks at the company, Mr. Sinofsky helped bring four versions of the Office suite of programs to market.
In 2006, he was named to head Windows engineering, at a time when the company was reeling from the aftermath of a troubled version version of Windows called Vista. He later helped lead the introduction of successor Windows 7 software, a successful product that helped restore the company's credibility with customers.
Mr. Sinofsky, 47 years old, has shepherded the development of two versions of Microsoft's flagship product, the 2009 release of Windows 7 and last month's launch of Windows 8, the first time Microsoft's operating system has been refashioned to work on touch-screen devices as well as traditional keyboard-and-mouse computers.
Mr. Sinofsky's sudden departure is likely to raise questions about the success of Windows 8 and about his relationship with Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. Microsoft watchers had speculated Mr. Sinofsky was a leading candidate to succeed Mr. Ballmer, but some people close to Microsoft said worries about Mr. Sinofsky's inability to collaborate with other senior executives made him unlikely to become CEO.
"I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company," Mr. Ballmer said in a statement. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment further.
Mr. Sinofsky's role will be taken up by two of his longtime lieutenants, Julie Larson-Green, an engineering executive, and Tami Reller, the marketing chief and chief financial officer of the Windows division.
Microsoft said Ms. Green will lead engineering efforts for Windows software and hardware, while Ms. Reller will be responsible for the business side of the Windows division, which, in addition to the operating software, includes the company's new Surface computer, the Internet Explorer browser and online services such as the MSN.com website.
Mr. Sinofsky joined Microsoft in 1989 as a software engineer, after earning computer-science degrees at Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He attracted the attention of Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and then-chief executive, who named Mr. Sinofsky as a "technical assistant" to research promising technologies. Based on his encounters with the fledgling Web at Cornell, Mr. Sinofsky helped prompt internal discussions at Microsoft that led the company to embrace the emerging technology.
After rising in the product-development ranks at the company, Mr. Sinofsky helped bring four versions of the Office suite of programs to market.
In 2006, he was named to head Windows engineering, at a time when the company was reeling from the aftermath of a troubled version version of Windows called Vista. He later helped lead the introduction of successor Windows 7 software, a successful product that helped restore the company's credibility with customers.