Paul Flessner is stepping away from the SQL Server group at the end of the year. This isn’t really a surprise given the number of Microsoft executives leaving or being asked to leave. Unlike most of them, I care about this one.
When I first joined SQL Server in 1995, my office was two doors down from Paul. He had an enormous influence on the team. We were very small (around 100 people) and no one in Microsoft cared about what we were doing. I didn’t realize it at the time but Paul’s determination and resilience where a major factor in making SQL Server 7.0 a landmark release for the company. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that SQL Server 7.0 was Microsoft’s arrival as an enterprise server company. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever worked under a more dedicated or focused team than the one that released 7.0.
I wish Paul all the best and hope that what he does next is a success. I will always be proud to have worked with him and to have learned from his example.
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