Microsoft’s Maritz to Scale Back Role

Group Vice President Paul Maritz, among the most powerful executives at Microsoft Corp., is stepping off the fast track and even considering retiring, possibly as soon as next year. A Microsoft spokesman said Maritz, 44, “has not made any decision to leave the company.” But the spokesman acknowledged that retirement was a possibility for Maritz, who has committed to staying at Microsoft only through the end of the year. Maritz joined the company in 1986 and was instrumental in supervising the development of the Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. Day-to-day responsibility for that group will be turned over to David Vaskevitch, a vice president who now reports to Maritz.