Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Sinofsky Departure From Microsoft Mirrors Forstall Firing by Apple

    Written by

    Michelle Maisto
    Published November 14, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Apple and Microsoft strangely paralleled each other the evening of Nov. 12, when the latter announced the departure of Steve Sinofsky, its president of Windows and Windows Live, effective immediately.

      In recent weeks, both companies made long-awaited product introductions that were quickly followed by the departure of a key executive behind the launch. Apple announced Oct. 29 that Scott Forstall, who ran software development for Apple up through the launch of the iOS 6–running iPhone 5, “will be leaving Apple.”

      Apple called its staffing changes a move to “increase collaboration,” but the news media quickly filled in the picture, reporting that Forstall had been fired after refusing to publicly apologize for failings in the iOS 6 Maps app. Forstall was widely described as a successor of sorts to the late Steve Jobs but also as—to quote The New York Times’ description, which was kinder than others’—an “ambitious and divisive” executive.

      Some might say the same of Sinofsky, who was similarly thought of as a possible successor to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

      Analyst Ezra Gottheil, with Technology Business Research, likened Sinofsky to the football coach Bill Parcells.

      “Bill has a history of taking teams to the Super Bowl for the first time and then being booted off of the team,” Gottheil told eWEEK. “The thing was, he had a system—a domineering, abrasive, goal-oriented system, and it worked. But it wasn’t sustainable. It would tear a team apart.”

      What Sinofsky pulled off, using by what most accounts was an unsettling work style, was necessary for Microsoft and the work he did was at the heart of the business—”the major revenue generators and almost everything else spins off of that,” Gottheil continued, adding that a likely reason for Sinofsky’s abrupt departure is that “he demanded something and Ballmer said no.”

      “It certainly is usual to see someone at Sinofsky’s level, who’s responsible for so much of the strategy, to depart with no transition and with a sense of immediacy—not unheard of, but usual,” said Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg.

      “What matters more, though, is what Microsoft does next, now that he’s gone. …. They’ve just launched one of the biggest launches [ever], so now it’s about executing, getting customers aware of the products, using the products, buying the products. The real work has just started…”

      As for Sinofsky’s side of the story, he says that after 23 years of working at Microsoft on a range of products, it was time to “seek new opportunities that build on these experiences”

      In a company-wide email sent out the evening of Nov. 12, according to Forbes, Sinofsky added, “I’ve always advocated using the break between product cycles as an opportunity to reflect and to look ahead, that applies to me too.”

      Neil Mawston, an executive director at Strategy Analytics, offered eWEEK an explanation, while again tying together the rivals.

      “Career frustrations could be among the causes of [the] departure. We think Mr. Sinofsky may have left because his chances of taking the top CEO role at Microsoft were slim in the near-term. Mr. Ballmer, the current CEO, has a tight grip on Microsoft and he doesn’t appear to want to loosen the grip anytime soon,” Mawston told eWEEK by email.

      “Mr. Sinofsky’s departure,” he added, “may tempt Scott Forstall from Apple to look more closely at the career opportunities at Microsoft.”

      Follow Michelle Maisto on Twitter.

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×