Michael Pizzo

CEO

Bellevue, Washington, United States38 yrs 7 mos experience
Highly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Over 35 years of experience in data access solutions.
  • Key architect behind ODBC and ADO.NET frameworks.
  • Active leader in industry standards for data access.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a seasoned architect in software development with a focus on data access solutions.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Data AccessSoftware ArchitectureIso Standards

Other Skills

LeadershipDesignApplication Programming Interfaces.NETADO.NETArchitectureASP.NETC#DatabasesCloud Computing

About

Michael Pizzo worked for over 35 years in the design and delivery of data access solutions and APIs at Microsoft. Michael first got involved in data access as a Program Manager for Microsoft Excel in 1987, integrating Microsoft’s flagship spreadsheet product with relational data. This led to his involvement in the design and delivery of ODBC, along with the ODBC-based Microsoft Query Tool shipped with Microsoft Office. During the design of ODBC, Michael was active in the standards organizations, sitting as Chair for the SQL Access Group, working with X/Open on the CAE specification for “Data Management: SQL-Call Level Interface (CLI)”, serving as Microsoft’s representative to the ANSI X3H2 Database Committee, and as an elected ANSI representative to the ISO committee meetings that defined and adopted Part 3 of the ANSI/ISO SQL specification for a call-Level Interface (SQL/CLI). Following ODBC, Michael was a key designer and driver of Microsoft’s OLE DB API for componentized data access within a COM environment. He later owned the design and delivery of ADO.NET version 1.0, leading into the architecture and design of the ADO.NET Entity Framework 1.0. Currently a Principal Architect and Engineering Manager in Microsoft's Identity Division, Michael continues to make data available to developers through Microsoft Graph. Michael continues his involvement in industry Standards as Co-Chair of the OASIS OData Technical Committee which owns the OData protocol, published by both OASIS and ISO Standards committees.

Experience

38 yrs 7 mos
Total Experience
38 yrs 3 mos
Average Tenure
4 mos
Current Experience

Retired

Retired

Dec 2025Present · 4 mos

  • After 38 years—my entire professional career— I’ve decided to retire from Microsoft and experience what’s going on in the rest of the world.
  • So grateful to Microsoft, and to all those who made my experience so amazing!

Microsoft corporation

Software Architect/Engineering Manager

Sep 1987Dec 2025 · 38 yrs 3 mos · Redmond, Washington, United States

LeadershipDesignApplication Programming InterfacesSoftware ArchitectureISO StandardsData Access+7

Education

Occidental College

AB in Mathematics — AB in Physics

Jan 1983Jan 1987

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