Ex-Windows 8 chief agrees not to badmouth Microsoft, gets stock payout

[nsane.forums]

Microsoft's former head of Windows 8 development has agreed not to badmouth Microsoft or work for some of its competitors and in return will receive a payout for unvested stock in the company, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.

The "retirement agreement" with Steven Sinofsky, who left Microsoft in November after leading the development of its Windows 8 OS and Surface tablet, is described by Microsoft in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sinofsky has agreed to not compete with Microsoft by accepting a job at certain competitors, which were not named, or encouraging customers to move away from its products. He's also agreed not to solicit Microsoft employees to work at other companies, not to "disparage" Microsoft and not to take part in any litigation against the company, the filing says.

In return, Microsoft will pay Sinofsky the value of his outstanding unvested stock options up to the start of Microsoft's 2013 fiscal year, which began last July, and award him other stock compensation.

It didn't provide a dollar figure for the agreement but it said Sinofsky had stock award agreements totaling 418,361 shares, which at Wednesday's closing price would be worth $14.2 million.

Windows 8 marked a dramatic shift for Microsoft. In particular, it included a completely new touch interface intended to help Microsoft and its PC making partners compete better with Apple's iPad and other tablets.

Some of the changes in the OS haven't been received well by users, however, and Microsoft is updating the software with Windows 8.1, which will reinstate some features like the ability to boot straight to the Windows desktop instead of the new tile interface.

In a statement Wednesday, Microsoft said the stock award to Sinofsky was in part to recognize his long service at the company.

"Given Steven's 23 years of strong service at Microsoft, which included leading teams that produced six versions of Office and two versions of Windows, the company will continue to provide him with the economic value of the stock awards he earned during his employment, similar to the retirement benefits we provide employees who work at least 15 years and retire at 55 or older," Microsoft said.

The agreement also provides other considerations for Microsoft, including "a commitment that Steven will continue assisting with intellectual property litigation until January 1, 2017."

Microsoft didn't identify any lawsuits Sinofsky might currently be helping with and a spokesman declined to comment further. The statement could mean that Sinofsky will be available to assist with any lawsuits should they arise.

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[stylemessiah]

So you can preside over the design of the worlds worst interface, get fired, and then still make $14 million?

No wonder average people hate executives...

[PrEzi]

So you can preside over the design of the worlds worst interface, get fired, and then still make $14 million?

No wonder average people hate executives...

Actually the word is, that he was against the new UI, or so I've heard.

The person fully supporting Metro/Modern is now the head of Windows dept (was previously responsible for Ribbon in Office) - Tami Reller.

[dcs18]

There are so many unemployed but, highly talented Skinners who create magic on the Windows - Microsoft should get such folks on their payrolls instead of spoiling an over-fed slob like Steven Sinofsky.

[Whoopenstein]

There are so many unemployed but, highly talented Skinners who create magic on the Windows - Microsoft should get such folks on their payrolls instead of spoiling an over-fed slob like Steven Sinofsky.

Definitly - I think most people like things to look nice. Why go back to a simplistic look that reminds me of 1990's AOL interface?

[stylemessiah]

Fact remains that Sinofsky presided over the project, which saw their sales (and i assume therefore their stock price as the two are usually linked) plummet, and he gets $14 million?

In my world, he would have been marched out into the back paddock and had 2 put in his head

* Disclaimer: Im ex military, im prone to simple solutions to simple problems :) All employee performance reviews should always be conducted at gunpoint, especially when it involves executives with golden fucking parachutes.

Business executives are taking the piss with salaries, and continue to do so.

[tezza]

Microsoft's normally listless stock has seen all of this terrible news and made a sharp move, soaring 26% this year, reaching a five-year high.

May 17, 2013

[dcs18]

Sinofsky is also responsible for the success of Windows 7 - he shall never be remembered for that, though.

Source

Sinofsky at the Windows division

Steven Sinofsky became the president of the Windows division in July 2009. His first heavily-involved projects included Windows Live Wave 3 and Internet Explorer 8. Sinofsky and Jon DeVaan also headed the development of the next major version of Windows to come after Windows Vista, Windows 7.

[stylemessiah]

Microsoft's normally listless stock has seen all of this terrible news and made a sharp move, soaring 26% this year, reaching a five-year high.

May 17, 2013

I think you'll find this mostly based on forecast, numbers twillding at Microsoft and sadly, not reality

For instance Microsoft can say that they sold 25 trillion licenses of Windows 8, it doesnt mean theres actually 25 trillion ACTIVE licenses. But the stock market gets told "Microsoft sold 25 trillion licenses", and if investors are silly enough to buy and inflate the price then Microsoft has conned them and done its job.

When you factor in that most OEMS were tanking on sales of new PC's due to Windows 8, yes Microsoft still sold licenses because unlike previous OS releases they were facists and locked OEM's into no downgrade rights. OEM's like ASUS and Lenovo were tanking due to Windows 8 and took spteps to curb this, Lenovo started defying the downgrade rights part of their agreement, and ASUS preinstalls a start menu replacement on some machines now. So companies have taken hits due to Microsoft's stupidity. What id LOVE to see is the OEM's band together and launch a class action for lost revenue, perhaps citing customers giving Microsoft a big fat no thanks on the GUI a year before release, yet OEM's still had to sign up for that BS, you try operating an OEM company with your hands tied by the dictatorship that Microsoft has turned into....they basically tied users hands too with that godawful excuse for an interface.

[tezza]

Microsoft's normally listless stock has seen all of this terrible news and made a sharp move, soaring 26% this year, reaching a five-year high.

May 17, 2013

I think you'll find this mostly based on forecast, numbers twillding at Microsoft and sadly, not reality

For instance Microsoft can say that they sold 25 trillion licenses of Windows 8, it doesnt mean theres actually 25 trillion ACTIVE licenses. But the stock market gets told "Microsoft sold 25 trillion licenses", and if investors are silly enough to buy and inflate the price then Microsoft has conned them and done its job.

When you factor in that most OEMS were tanking on sales of new PC's due to Windows 8, yes Microsoft still sold licenses because unlike previous OS releases they were facists and locked OEM's into no downgrade rights. OEM's like ASUS and Lenovo were tanking due to Windows 8 and took spteps to curb this, Lenovo started defying the downgrade rights part of their agreement, and ASUS preinstalls a start menu replacement on some machines now. So companies have taken hits due to Microsoft's stupidity. What id LOVE to see is the OEM's band together and launch a class action for lost revenue, perhaps citing customers giving Microsoft a big fat no thanks on the GUI a year before release, yet OEM's still had to sign up for that BS, you try operating an OEM company with your hands tied by the dictatorship that Microsoft has turned into....they basically tied users hands too with that godawful excuse for an interface.

I am not debating your love affair with Win 8 :P

Microsoft's normally listless stock has seen all of this terrible news and made a sharp move, soaring 26% this year, reaching a five-year high. May 17, 2013. This is a fact.

Financially, Microsoft is in good health. Business-wise, it's in fantastic shape. It's only from the public's perspective that things aren't going all too well. And Wall Street has woken up to the fact that Microsoft is, at least from a shareholder and investor's point of view, stronger than it appears to be. Microsoft isn't "just that Windows company" anymore. ;)

[DKT27]

I'm not surprised. The whole "Windows 8 ecosystem" is made with money, business, mobile and sharemarket in mind. So obviously shareowners got what they wanted (unlike it's faithful users).

Having said all that, as far as the ecosystem is concerned, if IE can be taken as an example, I see Windows on mobile (mobile + tablets) having similar effect as IE on browsers these days.

[dcs18]

Microsoft's profiteering is not limited to Windows 8 as people are misled into believing - they started it with Windows 7 as a new OS. They could've easily incorporated all Windows 7 ( and also Windows 8 ) enhancements into Vista.

The only reason Windows 7 was released was to justify charging for a new OS - the same pricing-philosophy holds true for Windows 8, too.

In recent times, the older regime of service packs has been dispensed away to make way for a newer regime - a new OS instead of the usual service pack . . . . . . . . . . . why???

Very simple - to charge in the name of a new OS (service packs are supposed to be free.) IMO, the 8.1 could well be the last free add-on in Microsoft history - little wonder, Microsoft is rocking financially as tezza mentioned earlier.

As for the Users, like the common man and the :pirate: alike - there is no such thing as loyalty. The fact is that Windows is the most widely embraced platform and Office the most compatible of suites, despite both being shareware. Nobody is patriotic (or stupid) enough to show loyalty to a SadFuck like Microsoft - at least, not me (unless it's offerings really are legit.)

[tezza]

On a good note, one benefit of MS making huge profits is Gates has once more taken the title of richest man in the world, partly due to the rising stock price of Microsoft, and Gates pledged to give the vast majority of his money away to charity through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

:)