Jeff Henshaw

I spent 33 years at Microsoft, rising from developer to partner-level executive, creating transformative products you use every day.

My career started as a programmer, building tools that shaped how software got written in the '90s. During the browser wars, I led Internet Explorer through its dominant growth phase. When Microsoft felt an existential threat from Sony's entertainment platform, I co-founded Xbox, then built Xbox Live from zero into Microsoft's global online gaming ecosystem. Driven by my passion for science, I led Azure Quantum, turning theoretical research into a commercial cloud service.

A string of hits — not experiments or near-misses — that generated billions in revenue.

Since leaving Microsoft in 2022, I founded 48° North to work with leaders, innovators, and investors facing frontier technology challenges. I've helped Ford transform their teams to compete on software-defined vehicles; advised multi-billion-dollar investment funds on the quantum and AI opportunities; transformed a leading energy supplier's global team from legacy operations to product-centric delivery; and helped digital entertainment companies narrow dozens of strategic ideas to the critical, fully-aligned investments.

Outside of work, I serve as CTO and co-owner of the Seattle Seawolves professional rugby team and have helped raise over one million dollars for Seattle Humane through the years. I still write code when I can.