Earlier today, we learned that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would be retiring within the next 12 months. This news was surprising and unexpected. In an interview with ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, we learn that Ballmer’s biggest regret during his tenure at Microsoft was Windows Vista.
“Oh, you know, I’ve actually had a chance to make a lot of mistakes, and probably because, you know, people all want to focus in on period A, period B, but I would say probably the thing I regret most is the, what shall I call it, the loopedy-loo that we did that was sort of Longhorn to Vista. I would say that’s probably the thing I regret most. And, you know, there are side effects of that when you tie up a big team to do something that doesn’t prove out to be as valuable,” Ballmer stated.
Windows Vista, codename Longhorn, is widely known as a flop in the eyes of many consumers, due to glitches and crashes. Aero made its debut in Windows Vista, offering a new visual feel to the operating system. This feature was great but the operating system had its fair share of problems when it came to driver support and other glitches.
Microsoft has yet to select a new CEO for the company.
Further reading: Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, Windows Vista
