Page "History of Microsoft Windows" Paragraph 31

Meanwhile, Microsoft continued to develop Windows NT.

The main architect of the system was Dave Cutler, one of the chief architects of VMS at Digital Equipment Corporation ( later acquired by Compaq, now part of Hewlett-Packard ).

Microsoft hired him in August 1988 to create a successor to OS / 2, but Cutler created a completely new system instead.

Cutler had been developing a follow-on to VMS at DEC called Mica, and when DEC dropped the project he brought the expertise and around 20 engineers with him to Microsoft.

DEC also believed he brought Mica's code to Microsoft and sued.

Microsoft eventually paid US $ 150 million and agreed to support DEC's Alpha CPU chip in NT.