Microsoft Is Officially Not the Windows Company Anymore

In 2012, as Microsoft Corp. was preparing a drastically overhauled version of its Windows computer software, the company's chief executive officer articulated his top priority. "There's nothing more important at Microsoft than Windows," Steve Ballmer said at a tech event. In his typical hyper-excited, semi-shouting style, Ballmer capped his presentation with, "Windows! Windows! Windows!"

That was then. Windows hasn't been the heart and soul of Microsoft for several years, and Microsoft made it extra official last week. In a corporate reorganization, Windows was effectively downgraded in the Microsoft corporate hierarchy. The person now in charge of Windows occupies a lower rung of the organization than his predecessor did and reports to the senior executive in charge of Microsoft's current top priorities: corporate software, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.