Former Windows 8 boss recruited Epstein to help negotiate his messy Microsoft exit

Emails betwixt erstwhile Windows leader Steven Sinofsky and Jeffrey Epstein, published by the Justice section connected Friday, look to show that Sinofsky perpetually sought Epstein’s proposal arsenic he negotiated his surprise exit from Microsoft successful November 2012, forwarding emails to him successful astir existent clip arsenic talks progressed. Sinofsky besides appears to person paid Epstein for his thief astatine the extremity of the process, and turned to him for assistance uncovering a caller occupation pinch Apple aliases Samsung, according to the emails.

One concatenation appears to show that Sinofsky forwarded a confidential email betwixt Microsoft executives to Epstein successful July 2013 that specifications the issues astir the motorboat of Surface, informing that the Surface RT tablet was “about to catastrophically neglect successful a very nationalist way.” Sinofsky had primitively sent the email to erstwhile Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer connected November 3rd, 2012, detailing really Surface RT income were successful a “very reliable spot” and that the institution mightiness beryllium connected “the verge of an unrecoverable situation.” Sinofsky near Microsoft conscionable days aft the correspondence pinch Ballmer.

Microsoft had stake connected the Surface RT tablet, its Arm-powered competitor to the iPad, and Windows 8’s caller touch-focused UI successful a large way, and had expected 70 percent of Surface RT income to beryllium made online. Instead, Microsoft faced “significant problems” trading its tablet online, according to the email from Sinofsky, and had made acold much units than it was capable to sell.

The email to Epstein besides appears to show that Sinofsky sounded a scheme to broaden Microsoft’s unit footprint extracurricular the US, based connected information that suggested group wanted to play pinch a Surface successful a shop earlier committing to a purchase. This scheme amazed some Ballmer and Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s erstwhile main operating officer. After days of backmost and distant astir the Surface RT income issues, Microsoft announced Sinofsky’s departure a week later — little than a period aft the Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface launch.

At the time, we reported that a conflict of personalities led to Sinofsky’s departure, but the Epstein files constituent to what looks for illustration a messy firing that dragged connected for months.

Sinofsky turned to Epstein to thief barter an exit package from Microsoft, and spent months negotiating a $14 cardinal “retirement” package, according to aggregate emails to Epstein. It’s not clear why Sinofsky turned to Epstein for advice, 4 years after Epstein was charged pinch activity trafficking minors. The pair had discussed Internet Explorer 9 successful 2011, while Sinofsky was still astatine Microsoft, and his longtime partner, Dr. Melanie S. Walker, also worked for Epstein arsenic his subject advisor successful 1998, earlier joining the Gates Foundation successful 2006.

I reached retired to Steven Sinofsky for remark connected why he sought proposal from a registered activity offender, and aft initially refusing to remark connected the grounds he directed maine to Matthew Hiltzik astatine Hiltzik Strategies, a communications patient that specializes successful situation management. Hiltzik asked to speak connected background, and erstwhile told astir The Verge’s strict argumentation requiring communications professionals to beryllium connected the record, besides declined to remark connected the record.

Microsoft besides declined to comment.

According to the emails, successful the weeks aft Sinofsky’s Microsoft departure, personification nicknamed “poops” warned Epstein that Sinofsky had “sent respective mails that he is going to termination himself,” aft news of his work arsenic a Harvard business schoolhouse coach raised further questions astir the quality of his Microsoft exit. Sinofsky seemed upset astir questions astir his imaginable firing. Months later, successful an email to Epstein, Sinofsky was besides concerned astir his Microsoft colony making it look for illustration he was fired.

Microsoft initially offered $5 million to Sinofsky for a non-compete deal, but the institution was consenting to salary moreover much than $5 cardinal if Sinofsky agreed that he wouldn’t “communicate pinch Microsoft labor regarding compensation, business strategy, and definite different matters,” according to an email from Scott D. Price, an executive compensation lawyer hired by Sinofsky. The email besides said that Microsoft wanted to extremity Sinofsky from ever authoring “any accusation regarding Microsoft that they see unpleasant.”

Epstein advised Sinofsky to support pushing for a $20 cardinal settlement, which led to months of backmost and distant until Microsoft yet settled connected the $14 cardinal sum successful July 2013. In the months earlier that, Sinofsky besides speculated Microsoft was worried astir him recruiting chap Windows employees, aliases that Ballmer was blaming Windows 8 connected him. At 1 constituent successful May 2013, according to the emails, Sinofsky told Epstein that Microsoft had been calling reporters asking if they’d spoken to him recently.

In the months starring up to the finalized Microsoft settlement, Sinofsky and Epstein apparently exchanged emails, organized aggregate calls, and met for meetings, dinners, and lunches. Sinofsky moreover shared specifications of gathering pinch Samsung for a imaginable occupation role, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. One of the Samsung meetings was related to the Android telephone shaper wanting to “do package to compete and not trust connected Google,” according to a Sinofsky email to Epstein. Sinofsky was worried astir Samsung talking to Ballmer, but yet the job ne'er worked out.

Epstein besides appears to person arranged a gathering betwixt Tim Cook and Sinofsky, but Cook initially appeared to beryllium concerned that Sinofsky was starting a institution pinch Scott Forstall, the erstwhile Apple executive that was ousted aft the nonaccomplishment of Apple Maps. The brace yet talked successful May 2013, and agreed to enactment successful touch astir imaginable Apple opportunities.

According to the emails, the backmost and distant of Sinofsky’s Microsoft colony agitated some sides. Microsoft was not happy pinch Sinofsky’s blog posts up of the settlement, and Sinofsky described Microsoft’s behavior arsenic “crazy” and apt to “get much crazy” successful a June 2013 email to Epstein. Sinofsky was besides keen to beryllium capable to talk astir his clip astatine Microsoft, and sought Epstein’s proposal on questions from reporters.

Once the Microsoft colony was finalized and announced publically connected July 3rd 2013, Sinofsky described himself arsenic a “good ex wife” successful an email to Epstein. Microsoft transferred the money to Sinofsky respective months later, and Sinofsky said “Got paid. You will beryllium excessively :)” successful an email to Epstein successful September 2013.

Epstein and Sinofsky continued to talk the tech industry, organize meetups, and much until at slightest 2017 — 2 years earlier Epstein was charged pinch the activity trafficking of minors successful 2019. Sinofsky seemed peculiarly willing successful Ballmer retiring from Microsoft, and a stockholder revolt successful 2013. He moreover approached Epstein to thief his erstwhile colleagues astatine Microsoft effort and link pinch Steven Hawking for a commercial. Microsoft yet aired the commercialized astatine the Super Bowl successful 2014, without Steven Hawking.