Dave Cutler Joins Microsoft

Microsoft hires Dave Cutler from DEC, tasking him with leading the development of a 'New Technology' operating system, initially codenamed NT OS/2. This marked the true beginning of the Windows Server lineage.

Significance

This hiring was foundational, bringing a world-class OS architect to Microsoft to build a robust, portable, and scalable system from scratch, setting the stage for Windows NT and subsequently Windows Server.