PowerShell architect retires after decades at the prompt

"Snover joined Microsoft as the 20th century drew to a close. The company was all about its Windows operating system and user interface in those days - great for end users, but not so good for administrators managing fleets of servers. Snover correctly predicted a shift to server datacenters, which would require automated management. A powerful shell... a PowerShell, if you will."

"In 2002, Snover produced the Monad Manifesto [PDF], a platform for administrative automation with a shell and scripting, and even a management console. Famously, he did not receive plaudits within Microsoft for his pains. He was instead demoted. Years later, he revealed his profound embarrassment at the move. However, he persevered and PowerShell eventually launched in 2006, becoming the essential administrative tool it is today."

"As it turned out, Snover's demotion became a promotion. He went on to become a Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft and Lead Architect for Windows Server, later serving as Chief Architect for the Enterprise Cloud Group and Microsoft Azure Stack, before closing out his time at Microsoft as Chief Technical Officer for Modern Work Transformation (MWT) and AI"

Jeffrey Snover has retired after a long technical career that included a brief role at Google and decades at Microsoft. Snover conceived the Monad Manifesto in 2002 proposing a shell, scripting, and management console for administrative automation. He faced internal resistance at Microsoft, including a demotion, but persisted and led the launch of PowerShell in 2006. PowerShell became an essential tool for server automation and administrative scripting. Several Microsoft executives privately expressed support during his struggles. Snover later held senior engineering and architecture roles including Distinguished Engineer, Lead Architect for Windows Server, and Chief Technical Officer for Modern Work Transformation and AI.

Read at Theregister