Microsoft CEO on Sinofsky: 'We Wish Him Well'

Microsoft's chief executive officer has finally weighed in on the recent departure of Steven Sinofsky, former president of the firm's Windows division. In a recent interview at Silicon Valley's Churchill Club, Steve Ballmer had only good things to say about Sinofsky.

The departing executive had been with Microsoft for more than two decades. Since 2009, he was in charge of Microsoft's Windows unit, and played a key role in the development of both Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Ballmer: Sinofsky Made "Amazing Contributions"

In his interview, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer credited Sinofsky with making "the most amazing contributions anyone will ever make to any company."

Ballmer added: "We wish him well and he's always recommended that if you're going to make a change, you make it on a product boundary and he's living his principles." (Source: eweek.com)

Ballmer didn't touch on rumors of tensions between Sinofsky and other important figures at Microsoft. However, the tech blog AllThingsD recently suggested that some Microsoft executives may have felt Sinofsky, while very talented, was not a team player.

In fact, AllThingsD drew comparisons between Sinofsky's departure from Microsoft and former Apple executive Scott Forstall's recent decision to leave that firm. (Source: allthingsd.com)

Analysts Concerned About Executive Shakeup

Ballmer also gave a ringing endorsement to Sinofsky's replacements, Julie Larson-Green and Tami Reller.

The two women will split Sinofsky's former job, with Reller looking after business and marketing, and Larson-Green focusing on improving the Windows product.

"The new team is fantastic," Ballmer said. "Maybe a little less well known. But the lady taking over the product development ... has been a driver behind the vision and will continue down the path."

Sinofsky's departure may appear not to concern Microsoft's CEO. However, Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi suggested it could have a negative impact on the mobile aspect of Microsoft's Windows business.

"My concern now is that the only guy that could raise their mobile perspective is gone now," Milanesi said. (Source: usatoday.com)