There was a time when Microsoft focused on creating a virtual assistant known as Cortana on personal computers. While it’s not exactly a success, the assistant we know might have had a completely different name if it had been ideas from then-CEO Steve Ballmer.
During the recent interviewSandeep Paruchuri, former director of product for Microsoft, gave some details on the process of creating Cortana. Among the details disclosed is an indication that former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had vastly different ideas about what to call the assistant.
By the looks of it, Ballmer intended to give Cortana the nickname “Bingo,” thus joining the Microsoft names and cementing the company’s message in the marketplace – a clear link to the Bing search engine.
In the end, the company decided to use a name that was part of the wizard from the Halo series, and if we take into account the name that might have been chosen for him, this was undoubtedly the best choice.
While Cortana is still present in the company’s systems, its focus has shifted over the years from being an assistant to the masses, and now it seems to be more user-centric in Microsoft 365.
