What will change about Microsoft’s Windows leadership following the departure of Steven Sinofsky as Windows president? “Not a whole lot,” says new Windows leader Julie Larson-Green in an interview with MIT Technology Review.
“We think a lot the same about what the role of Windows is in society, what computing looks like, and getting people on board with that point of view,” Larson-Green tells the publication.
That’s in line with the sentiment that I picked up on while putting together our story this week about the internal conflicts at Microsoft that preceded the departure of Sinofsky.
The team that remains in the Windows division reflects his methodical approach to product development, which puts the division at odds at times with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other parts of the company that take a more freewheeling approach.
Asked about Sinofsky in the interview, Larson-Green says, “Steven is an amazing leader and an amazing brain and an amazing person, but one person can’t do everything. It’s really about the team that we created and the culture that we created for innovation.”
She also comments about the reception for Windows 8 and the rise of touch-screen computing, and encourages new users (and the tech press) to give themselves a little time to adjust to the interface. She says, “Some people who review it for a shorter period of time may not feel how rich it really is. We’re going for the over time impression rather than the first 20 minutes out of the box.”
