"I think Vista is a huge PR problem," said one company veteran in February 2007.
In one October 2006 email string involving CEO Steve Ballmer, the executive team said that if the company delayed the release, it could save about $1 billion.
But there was disagreement. "A delay does not buy us back the customers' love," said one.
"No one will remember [if we ship on time]," wrote another.
In the end, Microsoft shipped Vista on schedule in January 2007. The operating system was a critical and commercial failure, and it took Microsoft years to recover.
The emails were obtained by the US government as part of an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. They were released after a federal judge ruled in favor of the government, requiring Microsoft to produce documents that the company had claimed were privileged.
The emails provide a rare look inside Microsoft's decision-making process during a critical period in the company's history. They show that the company was aware of the problems in Vista but decided to ship the product anyway in order to meet its marketing schedule.
This decision turned out to be disastrous for Microsoft. Vista was a failure and it damaged the company's reputation. It also allowed Apple and Google to gain market share in the operating system market.
Microsoft has since learned from its mistakes and has become more customer-focused. The company has also invested heavily in improving the quality of its products. As a result, Microsoft's operating systems are now more reliable and popular than ever before.
The emails released as part of the Microsoft antitrust lawsuit provide a valuable reminder of the importance of customer feedback and the dangers of ignoring customer concerns.
