Steven Sinofsky, 47, died November 12 in Seattle, WA. Sinofsky had just announced his sudden resignation as Windows president for Microsoft Corporation, mere weeks after the release of the company's Windows 8 operating system and amid less than spectacular sales of the new Surface tablet. Following the announcement, Sinofsky had left the company headquarters in Redmond, WA to spend a few days in seclusion at Seattle's Roosevelt Hotel. Upon arrival, Sinofsky tripped on the uneven surface created by the upturned corner of a decorative rug in the eighth floor elevator lobby, sending him crashing through a window to his death. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke to the press after the news of Sinofsky's death broke. "I am personally, as are all of us at Microsoft, grateful to Steven for his 23 years of hard work at Microsoft, and we are deeply saddened by the news of his death," said Ballmer. Stifling a sardonic chuckle, Ballmer continued. "But man, I've got to tell you. Stumbling on an uneven surface and falling out a window on 8. That just . . . well that just says it all, you know?"
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