Personnel Behind the Success of Microsoft Corporation (without Bill Gates...LOL)

You're so used to the elder Bill Gates that you might be stunned (well, i do...:))

We always relate Microsoft with the one and only William Henry Gates...aka Bill Gates! Even though you can say that Bill Gates is the paramount instrumentalist for Microsoft's successes, do not forget the other bunch of Microsoft personnel who assisted Bill Gates in the making of Microsoft's current well-being!

A) Microsoft's Founders

Let's just ignore Bill Gates, shall we? Microsoft originally have two founders on which one of them is Bill Gates for certain. Hey, who's the other one, then?

Answer: Paul Allen
Bill Gates & Paul Allen, 1975.

Paul Gartner Allen is not only the founder of Microsoft, he is the one who persuades Bill Gates into joining Microsoft, seeing that they are old friends (with Paul Allen being the senior by two years..:))

Mr. Allen is no longer on Microsoft, though. He officially resigned on the year 2000 after having distanced himself for quite some time due to Hodgkin's Disease, but don't judge him too harshly if you're a fan of Microsoft's products; he is the spirit behind a deal for Microsoft to purchase a Quick-and-Dirty Operating System (QDOS) which as a result, enable Microsoft in securing a contract to supply the DOS that would run on IBM's PC line. That is how Microsoft's uprise to commercial prominence began!

B) Microsoft's Executive Leaders

Check out some of the directors...:) It would not be too detailed, but the information given will be adequate as a public consumer. The directors i gave in details are those whom you will often read and saw in news related to Microsoft. Others will only be refered to in pictures.

1. Steve Ballmer

Do not judge this bald-looking fellow lightly; he is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft!
Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft during the year 1980 and will go down in history as being the first business manager to be hired by Bill Gates!

2. Craig Mundie

Mr. Mundie here is the Chief Research and Strategy Officer of Microsoft. Previously, he also serves as Chief Technical Officer for advance strategy and policy. He joined Microsoft in 1992 as part of the Consumer Platform Division, which manufacture the earliest version of handheld PCs and Pocket PCs and many more non-PC platforms.

3. Ray Ozzie

All software developers and computer engineers can look up to Ray Ozzie as an inspiration-because he is the Chief Software Architect of Microsoft. Ray Ozzie took up the mantle of architecturing Microsoft's product in 2006, when Bill Gates first decided to reduce his responsibilities in the company (he fully relinquish his responsibilities in July 2008). He is honoured as one of the seven "Windows Pioneers" of Microsoft.

4. Steven Sinofsky

Love your Windows Live Messenger? Love you Hotmail? Love how Vista looks and feels? Then knowing this guy is a must. Steven Sinofsky is the Senior Vice President of Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. While previously holding several production positions in Microsoft, including the development of Microsoft Office, he is now more towards making users "feel" with the development of GUI, device support, graphics, media and the user-centric experience of Windows Live & Microsoft's other online community services.

Here are the other executive officers less known in public:
5. J Allard (Chief Experience & Chief Technology Officer, Entertainment & Devices Division)
6. Robert J. Bach (President of Entertainment & Devices Division)
7. Lisa Brummel (Senior Vice President - Human Resources)
8. Jean-Philippe Courtois (President of Microsoft International)
9. Stephen Elop (President of Microsoft Business Division)
10.Chris Liddell (Chief Financial Officer)
11. Mich Mathews (Senior Vice President - Central Marketing)
12. Bob Muglia (Senior Vice President - Server & Tools Business)
13. Rick Rashid (Senior Vice President - Research)
14. Eric Rudder (Senior Vice President - Technology Strategy)
15. Brad Smith (Senior Vice President - General Council, Corporate Secretary, Legal &
Corporate Affairs)
16. Kevin Turner (Chief Operating Officer)
17. David Vaskevitch (Senior Vice President - Technical Officer)
18. Hank Vigil (Senior Vice President - Consumer Strategy & Partnership)

*All information extracted from Microsoft's Official Website