One of the cool things about being a Windows Insider has been the direct interactions with some of the key people behind your favorite OS. From Gabe Aul to Dona Sarkar, and today, another very important Windows Insider mastermind has come into the limelight. Meet Bill Karagounis, the Windows 10 OS Fundamentals Director of Program Management, who is sharing some very interesting things about himself in an interview published on the Insider Hub today.
Those of you lucky enough to attend Build 2016 probably had a chance to meet the man face-to-face already, but Sydney-born Karagounis, true to his title, is in charge of everything under the sun related to Windows, from the Insider team, Feedback Hub, to OS performance, reliability, battery life and installation/recovery. A fitting role, perhaps, since he seems to love the inner workings of the OS itself, having been a self-professed “OS geek” for most of his career. A veteran Microsoftie, Karagounis was there for the Windows 7 sign-off in July 2009 (his most memorable Microsoft moment), working as Group Program Manager for OS performance. If you had been enjoying Windows 7 snappiness compared to its infamous predecessor, Vista, you now know who to thank.
For a veteran of such high caliber within Microsoft’s rank though, Karagounis work setup is surprisingly modest, consisting of only an HP dc7800 linked to dual monitors, as well as various other Surface tablets for on-the-go meetings. The biggest addition in his collection may be the Surface Hub, which he uses for collaborations and meetings in the office. Perhaps the director of all Windows 10 fundamentals knows best just how optimized his baby OS is even for older hardware; sure enough, Karagounis sees no reason to use anything more advanced than his usual customers. In fact, he even shares a great tip for speeding up Windows Shell on older hardware, which you can check out on the Insider Hub.
The interview also reveals other interesting tidbits about Karagounis’ personal life, including his dog-walking habit first thing in the morning, his love for the triple Americano from Microsoft Kitchen, Gibson guitar, Italian food and Formula1, and his knack for mechanical operations, being pit crew for his sons’ karting sessions. The last one definitely struck a chord with the surprising ability of Microsoft’s high-level employees to maintain a work-life balance, something Chief Experience Officer Julie-Larson Green can also attest to.
Overall, it’s great to get to know another person behind the Windows team, and Bill Karagounis sounds like a cool person to be driving the Windows car. We thank Karagounis and his team for the work they have done to make our favorite OS even better. Microsoft is not done opeining up on its Windows 10 Team Profile announcements, however, so stay tuned for more info in the future.
