The former Windows 8 chief enlisted Epstein to help negotiate his messy exit from Microsoft

Emails between former Windows boss Steven Sinofsky and Jeffrey Epstein, released by the Justice Department on Friday, appear to show that Sinofsky was constantly seeking Epstein’s advice as he negotiated for him. Sudden exit from Microsoft In November 2012, emails were sent to him in near real time as the talks progressed. Sinofsky also appears to have paid Epstein for his help at the end of the process, and turned to him for help finding a new job with Apple or Samsung, according to the emails.

One thread appears to show that Sinofsky sent a confidential email between Microsoft executives to Epstein in July 2013 which details issues with the Surface launchWarning that the Surface RT tablet is “about to fail catastrophically in a very public way.” Sinofsky had originally sent the email to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on November 3, 2012, detailing how Surface RT sales were in a “very difficult situation” and that the company may be on the “edge of an unrecoverable situation.” Sinofsky left Microsoft after a few days of correspondence with Ballmer.

Microsoft bet big on the Surface RT tablet, a competitor to the Arm-powered iPad, and Windows 8’s new touch-centric user interface, and expected 70 percent of Surface RT sales to be made online. Instead, Microsoft had “major problems” selling its tablet online, according to Sinofsky’s email, and made far more units than it was able to sell.

The email to Epstein also appears to show Sinofsky floated a plan to expand Microsoft’s retail footprint outside the US, based on data suggesting people want to play with a Surface device in a store before committing to a purchase. This plan surprised both Ballmer and Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s former chief operating officer. After days of controversy over Surface RT sales issues, Microsoft announced Sinofsky’s departure A week later – less than a month after the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface.

We reported at the time that A Clash of personalities This led to Sinofsky’s departure, but Epstein’s files indicate what appears to have been a chaotic dismissal that lasted several months.

Sinofsky turned to Epstein for help in negotiating an exit package from Microsoft, and spent months negotiating a $14 million “retirement” package, according to multiple emails to Epstein. It is not clear why Sinofsky turned to Epstein for advice, four years later Epstein was charged With minors who traffick sex. husband had discussed Internet Explorer 9 In 2011, while Sinofsky was still at Microsoft, his longtime partner, Dr. Melanie S. Walker, also works She worked for Epstein As his scientific advisor in 1998, before joining the Gates Foundation in 2006.

I reached out to Steven Sinofsky for comment on why he sought counseling from a registered sex offender, and after he initially declined to comment on the record, he directed me to Matthew Hiltzik at Hiltzik Strategies, a communications firm specializing in crisis management. Hiltzik asked to speak on background and when he was told about it EdgeStrict policy requiring communications professionals to be registeredHe also refused to comment on the record.

Microsoft also declined to comment.

According to emails, in the weeks following Sinofsky’s departure from Microsoft, a person nicknamed “Poop” appeared. Epstein warned That Sinofsky “sent several mails saying he was going to kill himself” afterward News of his work As an instructor at Harvard Business School, he raised more questions about the nature of his exit from Microsoft. Sinofsky He seemed upset About questions about his possible expulsion. Months later, in an email to Epstein, Sinofsky was also concerned about his Microsoft settlement It feels like a package.

Microsoft first I offered $5 million to Sinofsky for a non-compete deal, but the company was willing to pay more than $5 million if Sinofsky agreed that he would not “communicate with Microsoft employees regarding compensation, business strategy, and certain other matters,” according to an email from Scott D. Price, the executive compensation attorney hired by Sinofsky. The email also said that Microsoft wanted to prevent Sinofsky from authoring “any information relating to Microsoft that it deems unpleasant.”

Epstein advised Sinofsky on this Keep pushing for a settlement of $20 million, which led to months of back and forth until Microsoft finally settled on $14 million. In July 2013. In the months leading up to that, Sinofsky Also speculate Microsoft was concerned about him hiring fellow Windows employees, or Ballmer was Blame Windows 8 attic. Sometime in May 2013, according to the emails, Sinofsky told Epstein that Microsoft was contacting reporters to ask if they had spoken with him recently.

In the months leading up to Microsoft’s final settlement, Sinofsky and Epstein apparently exchanged emails, arranged several calls, and met to… Meetings, dinnerAnd lunches. Sinofsky even shared details Meeting with Samsung For a potential job role, Apple CEO Tim Cook. One of Samsung’s meetings was related to the Android phone maker’s desire to “make software to compete and not depend on Google.” According to Sinofsky Email Epstein. Sinofsky He was worried About Samsung talks with Ballmer, but ultimately the mission It never worked.

Epstein also appears to have arranged a meeting between Tim Cook and Sinofsky, but Cook At first he seemed worried Sinofsky was founding a company with Scott Forrestal, the former Apple CEO Who was overthrown After the failure of Apple Maps. The couple finally spoke in May 2013, and Agree to keep in touch About potential opportunities for Apple.

According to emails, Sinofsky’s settlement with Microsoft excited both sides. Microsoft was not happy with Sinofsky’s idea Blog posts Before the settlement, Sinofsky Describe Microsoft’s behavior He described him as “crazy” and likely “getting crazier” in a June 2013 email to Epstein. Sinofsky was also keen to be able to talk about his time at Microsoft, and sought Epstein’s advice on it Questions from journalists.

Once the Microsoft settlement was finalized and publicly announced on July 3, 2013, Sinofsky announced… He described himself as a “good ex-wife” in an email to Epstein. Microsoft transferred the money to Sinofsky several months later, and Sinofsky said “I got the money. You’ll get the money too :)” In an email message To Epstein in September 2013.

Microsoft continued to announce A $900 million write-off On Surface RT in July 2013, immediately after the Sinofsky settlement was announced. The loss was all due to “inventory adjustments”, after Microsoft built this company 3 to 5 million Surface tablets In the holiday quarter but it is said to be only sold out Just over 1 million Surface RT devices.

Epstein and Sinofsky continued to discuss and regulate the technology industry Encountersand even more in At least 2017 – two years before Epstein was charged with the crime Sex trafficking of minors In 2019. Sinofsky seemed particularly interested in Ballmer’s retirement from Microsoft, and A.J Shareholder revolt in 2013. He even reached out to Epstein to help his former Microsoft colleagues try it Connect with Stephen Hawking For a commercial. Microsoft finally aired the commercial at the Super Bowl in 2014, Without Stephen Hawking.