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Microsoft Windows chief Terry Myerson at an event in Bellevue celebrating the launch of Windows 10

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Windows chief Terry Myerson was able to escape Microsoft’s Redmond campus on Wednesday to blow off some nervous energy with developers, as the rest of the world got its first taste of Windows 10.

Myerson could use a stress reliever.

After all, the executive vice president of the Windows and Devices group has a lot riding on the launch of Windows 10, publicly setting an ambitious goal of reaching 1 billion devices with Microsoft’s new operating system within two to three years. That’s something that has never been done before.

GeekWire sat down with Myerson just hours after the clock started ticking on the goal at a launch event at the Microsoft Bellevue store.

Here are some highlights from our conversation.

Terry Myerson
Terry Myerson chats with Windows 10 users in Bellevue

GeekWire: One billion devices seems like a bit of a stretch…

Myerson: “Well, it’s in two to three years. There are days when I feel like it’s a stretch and there are days when I feel like there’s that many people in the world. Whether it’s kids at school, people at work or having fun at home playing games.”

GeekWire: Which side are you on today?

Myerson: “Today feels good. It really is one customer at a time. Right now we’re feeling the pressure to upgrade people faster, but actually what we’re doing is trying to do a super high quality job. Really, it’s about a quality job, a quality rollout, a quality experience. It will take time to update that 1 billionth device, but we’ll get there.”

GeekWire: People talk about Microsoft needing more market share. Is that the reason for the free upgrade?

Myerson: “We’ve never talked about this in terms of market share. We actually never have. We’ve built all these technologies to keep our customers safe and secure; we’ve built all this cool stuff. What better way to bring people along, than to upgrade them for free? Then, they become happy and engaged with Windows 10. When they’re ready to consider a new device, they’ll consider a Windows device. But it starts with reconnecting with those customers and making them safer and more secure, enabling them to have more fun and be more productive. And then on their own timing, they’ll go buy a device and this helps them consider Windows.”

GeekWire: How about enterprise users? They tend to upgrade slower.

Myerson: “Enterprise is both individuals and then there’s organizational decisions. I think we’ll see many individuals within enterprises upgrade today, but that’s an individual choice. When will organizations choose to make an infrastructure decision? Months.”

GeekWire: Not years?

Myerson: “Months.”

GeekWire: That’s quite a shift from what happened with Windows 8.

Myerson: “Well, the start button is back. Windows 10 is familiar to everyone running Windows 7 and Windows 8. So you don’t have any retraining concerns. It’s familiar out of the box, it’s compatible. So the reasons not to go aren’t there. And then you consider if the reasons to go are sufficient. Especially within the enterprise, the security work is just critical. In today’s connected world you just need to protect your corporate information and Windows 10 is an upgrade that helps you do that.”

GeekWire: So did Microsoft learn its lesson from the Start Menu experience?

Myerson: “We learn things every day.”

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