Microsoft's Windows chief Steven Sinofsky leaves in power struggle

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer isn't going to let anyone get in his way. That was the underlying message of a power struggle that led to the abrupt departure of Steven Sinofsky, who oversaw the Windows operating system that has been the foundation of Microsoft's success.

The announcement early this week came less than three weeks after Sinofsky and Ballmer appeared on a stage in New York to hail the long-awaited release of Windows 8, a radical overhaul of the operating system.

Microsoft Corp didn't elaborate on the reasons behind the end of Sinofsky's 23-year career at the company. But all signs point to tensions boiling over as Ballmer tries to weave Microsoft's products more closely together so the technology is easily accessible whenever and wherever people want to work, play and communicate.



That's a goal Microsoft rivals Apple Inc and Google Inc have been pursuing for the past few years, giving them a head start in a battle that's immersing technology even deeper into people's lives.

To achieve his objectives, Ballmer is trying to dismantle fiefdoms within Microsoft that date back to the 1990s when co-founder Bill Gates ran the company.

According to industry analysts, Gates divided the company into different engineering silos devoted to each of Microsoft's key franchises - Windows, the Office suite of software, online services and corporate servers.

When Ballmer became CEO nearly 13 years ago, he inherited the structure and even expanded it to include new divisions to house new products such as the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Ballmer, 56, isn't the only to CEO facing friction within the ranks. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced he was replacing Scott Forstall, a long-time company executive in charge of the software that runs the iPhone and iPad.

Like Sinofsky at Microsoft, Forstall was considered to be a leading candidate to become Apple's next CEO.

Sinofsky's departure will likely increase the pressure on Ballmer as he tries to restore some of the luster Microsoft has lost during his tenure as CEO.

Sinofsky, 47, had been widely seen as Ballmer's likely successor. After joining the company as a software engineer in 1989, Sinofsky eventually became a technical advisor to Gates and later oversaw the Office package that includes word processing, spreadsheet and email programs.

He took charge of Windows in 2006 and helped the company recover from the buggy Vista version of the operating system with the release of Windows 7 in 2009. More than 670 million licenses of Windows 7 have been sold since then.

Ballmer praised Sinofsky in an upbeat email sent to company employees on Monday.

"What we have accomplished over the past few years is nothing short of amazing, and I know we have more amazing in us," Ballmer wrote. "I am excited about our people, I am energised by our ability to change and grow, and I look forward to the success which lies ahead."