14 Facts About Jon Shirley

Jon A Shirley was born on April 12,1938 and is a former president, chief operating officer, and director of the Microsoft Corporation.

Jon Shirley is a collector of vintage cars and modern art.

Jon Shirley attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jon Shirley started 25-year tenure at Radio Shack as a store department manager in Boston before the company's acquisition by the Tandy Corporation in 1963.

Jon Shirley was responsible for Radio Shack's computer division and as vice president of computer merchandising, he was credited with propelling the Tandy Corporation and its 7,000 Radio Shack stores into its position as the world's largest merchandiser of microcomputers.

Radio Shack was a large customer of the Microsoft Corporation and Jon Shirley worked closely with Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, to create Radio Shack products utilizing Microsoft software.

In 1983, Gates recruited Jon Shirley to join Microsoft as president, chief operating officer, and director.

Jon Shirley brought to Microsoft managerial maturity and knowledge of the retail sales of computers, and helped guide the company through its initial public offering in 1986.

Jon Shirley was credited as being the architect of Microsoft's financial and managerial infrastructure that allowed the company's financial growth in the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Jon Shirley retired as president and chief operating officer of Microsoft in 1990 and from its board of directors in 2008.

Jon Shirley was once mentioned in press accounts for refusing to upgrade his second computer to Windows Vista after upgrading his first.

Jon Shirley is a racer of vintage cars and has a significant car collection that includes vintage Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, and sports racers from the 1950s and 1960s.

Jon Shirley's first sports car purchase was a 1961 4-cylinder Sunbeam Alpine, chosen for the simple reason that he felt it would be fun to drive.

Jon Shirley served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Seattle Art Museum and as chair of the Olympic Sculpture Park's building committee.