Microsoft shares down 3 percent in early trading
The company's shareholders are getting their first chance to respond to the news of Windows boss Steven Sinofsky's departure.
Microsoft shareholders appear to be at least a little concerned about Steven Sinofsky's departure.
In their first chance to chime in on the news this morning, Microsoft shareholders cut 3 percent from the software giant's stock price, dropping it to $27.10. Considering Microsoft closed the day yesterday at $28.22, that's not a major drop, but a notable one, nonetheless.
Microsoft announced Sinofsky's departure last night. In an e-mail to employees, the Windows boss said that after 23 years at the company, he's leaving Microsoft to "seek new opportunities." In his own e-mail to the troops, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer thanked Sinofsky for his work and announced that Julie Larson-Green will now head up Windows engineering.
Sinofsky's departure came as a surprise to those who viewed Sinofsky as "a rare talent." However, as a Microsoft executive told CNET last month, he could be divisive and didn't always work well with other executives.
Sinofsky leaves just a couple of weeks after his division got Windows 8 out the door. In his e-mail to employees, Sinofsky said that he has "always advocated using the break between product cycles as an opportunity to reflect and to look ahead, and that applies to me too."