# Alex Hinrichs

> Alex Hinrichs is a Houston-based technology executive, writer, and member of Truveta's founding team whose operating career spans 22 years at Microsoft, consulting work on Facebook's Oculus product line, and leadership at Truveta. He release-managed 12 Microsoft products, including Windows Server 2008, three Windows Phone releases, the first HoloLens, and Windows Mixed Reality, then turned his hard-won management lessons into a public body of writing about clarity, feedback, decisions, and the human systems behind software.

- **Role:** Vice President and member of the founding team at Truveta
- **Organizations:** Truveta, Microsoft, Facebook (Oculus), Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston Foundation
- **Education:** University of Houston
- **Known for:** Release-managed 12 Microsoft products across Small Business Server, BackOffice, Windows Server, Windows Phone, HoloLens, and Windows Mixed Reality., Ran more than 3,000 ship-room meetings across major Microsoft engineering organizations., Wrote more than 250,000 words in weekly engineering communications for the HoloLens and Windows Phone teams.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Joined Microsoft as a Program Management intern working on Windows NT.
- **1996** — Began his first full-time role at Microsoft.
- **1996-2003** — Release-managed Small Business Server and BackOffice releases, culminating in Small Business Server 2003.
- **2008** — As Group Program Manager, helped bring Windows Server 2008 to release after a three-year development cycle involving more than 5,000 contributors.
- **2009-2014** — Ran release operations across Windows Phone 7, 8, and 8.1.
- **2015-2017** — Served as release manager for the first Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality.
- **2018** — Retired from Microsoft after 22 years and returned to Texas.
- **2018-2020** — Consulted with Facebook's Oculus product team.
- **2020** — Published a sustained series of essays about management, decision-making, feedback, and software teams.
- **2020s-present** — Serves as a vice president and member of Truveta's founding team.

## Achievements

- Release-managed 12 Microsoft products across Small Business Server, BackOffice, Windows Server, Windows Phone, HoloLens, and Windows Mixed Reality.
- Ran more than 3,000 ship-room meetings across major Microsoft engineering organizations.
- Wrote more than 250,000 words in weekly engineering communications for the HoloLens and Windows Phone teams.
- Helped ship Windows Server 2008, a three-year effort with more than 5,000 contributors.
- His published Microsoft retirement lessons were read and forwarded by more than 25,000 people.
- Became a member of Truveta's founding team and a company vice president.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — His current public professional profile lists him with Truveta in Houston, and his personal site identifies him as a Truveta vice president.
- **2020-10** — Published an Authority Magazine interview and companion post on giving direct, humane feedback.
- **2020-09** — Published his account of the Windows Phone mailroom decision ritual and his case for fast, reversible decisions.

## Links

- Website: https://alexhinrichs.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hinrichs
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Hinrichs_Alex

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alex-hinrichs
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27