I'm curious what the impact was in terms of actual loss-of-quality vs. dollars saved.

I would guess that for a company as wealthy as Microsoft, the reputational damage to its flagship product would far outweigh any money saved.

But perhaps I'm just wrong about how the market works. If nothing else, reliability concerns are just one reason I'm avoiding Windows 10. (The other primary reason being Microsoft's potential snooping.)

Well, their stock nearly tripled since 2014 and they passed Alphabet/Google in valuation early this year, so...

Eh, I imagine that mostly has to do with Ballmer stepping down and not about slashing expenses.

whoever approved this decision needs to be fired