Jon thomason xbox biography

As a general manager at Microsoft, Jon led several high-profile successful projects, including the operating system and development tools for Microsoft Windows.
Thomason also oversaw Microsoft's launch system software for its Xbox gaming console and Xbox Live online gaming service during his decade.
John Wendell Thompson (born April 24, 1949) is an American technology executive who was the chair of Microsoft from 2014 until June 2021.

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The making of the Xbox: Microsoft’s journey to the next generation (part 2)

Another state of panic

As they were just beginning their work on a second console, the Microsoft team knew how far behind they were compared to Sony. In March 2001, well before Microsoft had shipped the first Xbox, Sony announced its next console would use a Cell microprocessor (pictured right), a new chip with parallel processing features that Sony was jointly designing with Toshiba and IBM.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God,'” said one Microsoft staffer as Sony made the announcement. “It scared the shit out of me.”

The Cell was a grand alliance, much like the PowerPC alliance of Apple, Motorola, and IBM — aimed at stopping Intel in the 1990s. The PowerPC effort failed against Intel, but IBM managed to keep it going with new markets, such as game consoles. With Cell, Sony would use the chip in the PlayStation 3, Toshiba would use it in TVs, and IBM would use it in servers. The only weakness, as perceived by Microsoft’s team, was that the Cell would be horribly hard to program.

Since it could take

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The making of the Xbox: Microsoft’s journey to the next generation (part 2)

Update: Don’t like page breaks? This two-part series is now available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle.

Editor’s note: This story is the second of two pieces on the 10th anniversary of the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox video game console, which debuted Nov. 15, 2001. The narrative is based on recent interviews as well as my two books: Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft’s Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, published in 2002; and The Xbox 360 Uncloaked: The real story behind Microsoft’s next generation video game console, published in 2006. Part 1 took us through the launch of the Xbox. This story takes us through the aftermath, the launch of the Xbox 360, and the present day state of the video game wars.

It was a miracle that Microsoft got the first Xbox out the door. The company’s first video game console came together in just 20 months from conception to launch. It earned Microsoft a precious toehold in the living room, selling 1.5 million units in its first season. It sold three

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John W. Thompson

American technology executive (born 1949)

For other uses, see John Thompson (disambiguation).

John Wendell Thompson (born April 24, 1949)^{[citation needed]} is an American technology executive who was the chair of Microsoft from 2014 until June 2021, and chair of Illumina from 2021 until 2023. He is a former chief executive of Virtual Instruments, a vice-president at IBM and the former chief executive of Symantec. Thompson later became an independent director on the board of Microsoft, and in February 2014, was named chairman.^[3] He led the search for Microsoft's next CEO; as a result, Satya Nadella was selected.^[4]

Personal life

Born at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Thompson attended John F. Kennedy High School in Riviera Beach, Florida (now Suncoast Community High School). He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida A&M University in 1971 and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management in 1983. He has worked with Ducks Unlimited as an advocate for outdoor conservation.

Professional life

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