Steven Sinofsky will have a very busy day on Wednesday. Of course, that's the day that Microsoft is scheduled to launch the Consumer Preview version of Windows 8 to the masses. Sinofsky runs the Windows division at Microsoft and a new article suggests that if Windows 8 is as big of a hit as Microsoft hopes, it puts Sinofsky in position to eventually take over as Microsoft's head man.
Reuters reports that according to Frank Artale of the venture capital group Ignition (founded by former Microsoft executives), Sinofsky has both "the tech chops" and the "panache and showmanship" to take over from current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Sinofsky joined Microsoft in 1989 and later became the technical assistant to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Sinofsky later lead the Microsoft Office team and helped to successfully ship Office 2003 and Office 2007. He then joined the Windows team in 2006 and took over as its leader in 2009.
Sinofsky has since cut the number of managers between him and the the most junior member of the Windows team from seven to around three or four which some say has helped to streamline Windows 8's development.
Critics of Sinofsky, including an unnamed former Microsoft executive, claim that Sinofsky doesn't have the mind of Gates or the analytical features of Ballmer. However, most agree that if Windows 8 is successful, Sinofsky will be in position to become the obvious next leader of Microsoft.
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