Steven Sinofsky

President, Windows and Windows Live Division
Microsoft Corporation

Returning to D is Steven Sinofsky, who left Microsoft earlier this year after running its flagship Windows franchise. (In fact, he demoed Windows 8 onstage in 2011.) As one of the software giant’s most high-profile execs, Sinofsky has always had a keen view of the entire tech landscape beyond Redmond. Sinofsky spent 23 years at Microsoft, where he managed the creation of Windows 8 and Surface, led development for Windows 7, and held various engineering and general management positions for Microsoft Office. He also worked as Bill Gates’s technical assistant and, with co-author Marco Iansiti, wrote “One Strategy: Organization, Planning, and Decision Making.” He is now ensconced at Harvard Business School, and maintains a tech and management-focused blog called “Learning by Shipping.”