Update: Toulouse has woken from his coma and is on the road to recovery as of June 13.
Stephen “Stepto” Toulouse, a longtime fixture at Microsoft who currently works at HackerOne, fell into a deep coma earlier this week, according to reports from his family.
“The cause was initially uncertain but it has since been determined he has a severe infection that likely contributed,” a friend of the family writes on a YouCaring page where they’re raising funds to help with expenses. “His infection is responding somewhat to treatment, and he has begun responding to our voices and following commands for the first time this morning. While we are excited for this small stride, he is still in critical condition.”
As I wrote when he originally left Microsoft, I was lucky to get to know Toulouse through at least a couple of his jobs inside the company over the years. He is an extremely sharp and personable guy who was able keep his sense of humor even in the high-stress role of speaking on behalf of Microsoft’s security initiatives.
It’s no surprise that so many of his friends and followers are rallying behind him this week.
To get a sense for his personality, here he is reading from the “Xbox Live Book of Enforcement” a few years ago.
Get well, Stepto — we’re all pulling for you.
