Stephen Toulouse, commonly known as Stepto and the Microsoft’s Xbox Live director of policy and enforcement, is leaving Microsoft.
Toulouse made the announcement on his blog this morning.
“Over the past year I’ve been doing quite of bit of thinking,” he said. “Nothing specific, nothing groundbreaking. Just plain old thinking. I turn 40 this year. Despite the wonderful ability in Microsoft to change careers pretty dramatically inside the company, I’ve been there nearly 18 years and it’s the only world I’ve really ever known. I feel too strangely comfortable, and too strangely tied.”
One of Xbox 360’s most public faces will remain with the company until February 15, before spending a vacation on a cruise boat wondering about what to do next.
Toulouse intends to write another book (his first one recounted his nearly 20 years at Microsoft), but there are no permanent plans.
“I have no idea what the future holds, for the first time in my life," said Toulouse.
As someone who’s spoken with Toulouse several times, I’ve always enjoyed our conversations about Microsoft policy. I didn’t always get the answers I wanted from Toulouse, but few people at any company were as willing to engage in the debate as often as Toulouse would. It’s unclear who will take his spot, but he’ll be difficult to replace.
My last chat with Toulouse was regarding the state of Xbox Live security. You can read it here.