Former Microsoft executive claims he "fought hard" to keep this Windows 11 feature, but lost

A couple of days ago, many Windows 11 users heard what is probably the best news they've heard in a long while. A credible report claims that Microsoft is returning the vertical taskbar orientation to the operating system, after years of user frustration. Now, an ex-Microsoft executive has shed some more light on the infighting that apparently took place at the company regarding this particular topic.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Mikhail Parakhin has highlighted the productivity benefits of a vertical taskbar, saying that he "fought hard against the decision to take it away back then". For those unaware, Parakhin is currently the CTO at Shopify, but he was previously the CEO of Advertising and Web Services at Microsoft and had also enjoyed a two-year stint as the Corporate Vice President of Technology at Redmond from 2019-2021, leading engineering teams across Windows, Edge, Search, Skype, Ads, Maps, and more.

Parakhin dived into more details, sharing the reasons behind getting rid of the vertical taskbar:

While this revelation about internal Microsoft conflicts is certainly interesting, many haven't taken too kindly to Parakhin's stance on social media. Most notably, Windows developer Rafael Rivera has pointed towards the executive being a key figure behind the decision to insert "garbage ads, scams, and other unwanted junk" in Windows, Edge, and Widgets.

Regardless, it's good news that after years of hearing that vertical taskbar is "not important", Microsoft is finally working towards ending a pain point for Windows 11 customers. The improvement should arrive sometime in summer, along with the ability to resize the taskbar.

Source

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Posted Sunday 15 February 2026 at 2:48 am AEST (my time).

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